You Already Take Me There
by vikki1818
Summary: Finished! Lizzie and Gordo haven't spoken in years and now must take a trip across country to help Miranda in a time of need. Will they make it? Will Lizzie realize what she has been missing all along? A story of second chances. LG
1. Chapter 1 Always

**Hey Everyone! I'm back! It's been about a year and a half since I put my pen down with the finish of my first Lizzie/Gordo fan fiction, You Already Take Me There. Some of you might have read it and loved it (thanks for all of the reviews!) but when I went back to read it again a week ago, I thought it was a great story but thought it could use some major overhauling. So, basically I have re-written this story and made it so, so much better. Because the bulk of it is already written and I will just be adding scenes, making it longer, and adding a TON more description, I will update this story fairly frequently, probably every few days. So don't fear that I won't finish the story, because it's already done! Leave a review (because I will be sending shout outs at the beginning of each chapter to people who give me reviews), and most importantly, enjoy!**

**Chapter 1 Always**

_Buzz…Buzz…_

_Buzz…Buzz…_

A small hand with blue and green nail polish adorning the fingernails darted out from beneath a blue flowered comforter to grab the cell phone that was currently vibrating on the nightstand. Eyes squinting beneath long blonde bangs, a young teenager was trying unsuccessfully to figure out which button to press on her newly acquired cell phone to stop the buzzing. She tried 3 different buttons before finally hitting the correct one. Still half awake, she let her eyes focus on the time on the display: 1:45 am. _Perfect_.

Her stomach clenched with anxiety and excitement as she pulled the comforter away, letting the cool air from the room rush over her body. She slipped out of bed and shivered as her feet touched the bare wooden floor. Quickly heading over to the dresser, she pulled off her favorite blue pajama bottoms and grabbed a pair of jeans and sweater to throw on. Stopping first to slip on her tennis shoes, she checked her reflection in the vanity with the little light of the moon that was flowing through her window. She pulled a brush through her long blonde hair was slightly wavy from the sleep as she scanned her room.

_I'm forgetting something… _she stood there thinking for a moment before realizing what it was. She grabbed her bright pink pillows from a chair in the corner and stuffed them underneath the covers in case the parental units decided to stop in. After pushing them into a convincing position she stood back to admire her work.

Now this was the tricky part. She walked softly across her room and pulled the purple curtain of her window open wide. Slowly she slipped her leg through the window that she had purposely left wide open before falling asleep. Luckily, the window on the left side of her room opened to the roof above her garage. _Perfect for sneaking out_, she thought to herself.

After getting out of the window successfully she turned around and tried not to look down. Focusing on the street light at the end of her driveway she got down on her hands and knees and crawled along the slanted roof. Her stomach still fluttering with excitement, she slowly made it to the corner. Once there she sat back and swung her legs around and over the edge. She didn't have to feel her foot around long before a firm hands took hold of both of her feet. She let a bit of her weight shift down to her feet and then felt herself being eased down. For the first time she let herself look down and felt a wave of exhilaration pass through her body as she glimpsed a head of brown curls from down below. Letting go of the roof, his arms wrapped themselves around her legs tightly, letting her know he wouldn't let her fall as he shifted his hands, one at a time, to her hips. Another wave of excitement coursed through her body as she was slowly placed onto her feet in front of him.

Arms still wrapped around her waist, he smiled anxiously at her as she mouthed a simple, _Thanks_. He smiled wide, showing his teeth as he held his hand out for her to grab and they both quietly ran down the driveway. His hand felt warm in hers and slightly sweaty. It was a beautiful cool summer night that felt eerily quiet. Halfway down the street, she realized that it was probably okay to continue talking at this point, but it was much more fun to be sneaky this way.

At the end of the street his hand pulled her left and up a well trod path that the pair knew well. They were still running and Lizzie McGuire smiled wider as she realized that her best friend's curls were bouncing with each step they took. His hand pulled her right up a fork in the path and it was another 100 yards or so until they arrived at the playground. Lizzie's hand suddenly felt cold as Gordo let go of her own to open the messenger bag he hand thrown over his shoulder. He proceeded to pull out a blanket and his own small telescope.

Lizzie remembered almost 4 years ago when he got it for his 10th birthday from his parents. He spent the entire first week that he got the telescope not sleeping at night so he could explore the sky as much as he could. Gordo, no matter the subject, was always seeking as much knowledge as he could. She smiled, remembering how it had rained the night that he was going to take her and Miranda to see all of the constellations he had found. Instead, he had set up a sheet, a light, and a disco ball and created his own night sky in her room. She, Gordo and Miranda stayed up half of the night, talking and laughing until her mother came in to complain about the noise.

Lizzie spread out the blanket as he expertly set up his telescope, which after 4 years, was well worn and loved. Gordo settled down on the blanket, lying down on his back to look up at the sky. Lizzie took a moment to stare down at him and take him in. He was wearing his beloved bowling shirt with the one green pocket and a pair of khaki pants with his black chucks with the red laces. She stood there staring at him before climbing down on the blanket herself.

"They're beautiful tonight" she whispered, afraid to ruin the tranquility of the moment. It was the kind of starry sky that reaches across and almost blends into the landscape. She turned her head to the right to glance over at him. He seemed to sense her gaze and turned his head to smile at her before glancing back up at the stars above. Lizzie always marveled at how Gordo could communicate so well just through a look. She on the other hand, always seemed to chatter on for hours about nothing at all. She stole another sideways glance at his profile on the blanket, _I wonder if he'll ask me out before the end of the summer._

"I can't believe we are starting high school in less than 2 weeks." She thought out loud, still whispering.

"I know…" he whispered back, "So much has happened this summer, yet it has flown by so quickly." He was right. An image of Paolo and her onstage flooded into her mind, quickly replaced by an image of her and Gordo on the roof of the hotel. She smiled at that memory, a small flush heating up her cheeks. The rest of the summer was spent pleading with her parents to allow Gordo to come over as she was grounded for the first month and a half after the trip. Miranda had finally gotten home from Mexico two weeks ago and they had spent the entire time trying to convince her that the story about Paolo and Italy wasn't a joke that that she had actually performed onstage in front of thousands of people.

"It's so scary, I mean, what if everyone there hates me? What if I fail all my classes? What if I can't find my way around?" she chattered on anxiously, still staring up into the sky. She had this innate ability to talk herself into a corner when she was worried about something.

"Lizzie, stop" he interrupted her, rolling to his side and pulling her face towards his own. Her cheek tingled at the contact that his hand made. "Think of everything you've done this summer… High school will be nothing compared to that."

She pulled the rest of her body on its side to face him. "I don't know Gordo… I mean you've even been to high school yourself and you said it was scary." She shuddered, remembering the awful few day period that Gordo had been transferred up two grades and had gone one to high school without her.

"Lizzie, we've gone over this before…" he was smiling at her softly, "Miranda and I will be there for you, you won't be alone like I was" he said, pulling her hand into his.

"But-" she started.

"Lizzie, do you trust me?" he locked eyes with her. His clear blue eyes seemed to drive all other thoughts and worries from her mind.

"Always" she breathed.

"Then believe me when I say that you will be great" he whispered, tentatively pulling his hand up her arm to rest on the crook where her shoulder and neck met. She shivered, even though his hand was warm. Realizing just how close they were lying together on the blanket, she bit her bottom lip. _Did we start out sitting so close together?_ she thought wildly. Her heart began thumping wildly as she felt a dizzy and light headed, almost like she was standing very close to the edge of a cliff. Gordo seemed to sense the moment and took a sharp breath. So quickly that Lizzie thought she might have imagined it, he stole a glance down at her lips.

Time seemed to stand still as she stared into his clear blue eyes nervously, willing him to kiss her.

Instead, he pulled his hand away from her quickly as he rolled over back onto his back and checked his watch. "Where is Miranda? She's late." Lizzie felt her heart, which had been fluttering up in vicinity of her throat, drop down a few feet. Tears flooded her eyes as the cold feeling of rejection spread through her body. She rolled over onto her back and tried to compose herself quickly.

"I don't know" she managed to choke out after a moment.

_What's wrong with me?_ she thought desperately. After Rome, she had decided that she would not be the one to make the next move. She wasn't sure if it was because she was trying to see if he really liked her or not, or if she was just too scared to make another move. She waited all summer, and he had yet to do anything. They had plenty of opportunities since they had gotten back, even with Lizzie being grounded. And it wasn't as if Gordo couldn't tell she was crazy about him. She had kissed him in Rome after all… She suddenly felt her stomach drop another few inches as a terrifying thought occurred to her, _Does this mean he doesn't feel the same way anymore?_

"Hey guys" she heard a familiar voice a few feet away where she was lying. They both sat up to find the tear streaked face of Miranda staring back at them.

Lizzie got up from the blanket and enveloped her friend in a hug. "Miranda? What's wrong?" she asked as Miranda shoulders began heaving in silent sobs.

Miranda pulled back and attempted an answer but fat tears started leaking from the corner of her eyes again. Lizzie pulled her into another hug and began patting her back. She nervously looked over Miranda's shoulder into Gordo's worried eyes. "Shh… It'll be okay Miranda. We're here for you" Lizzie whispered. After that she seemed to calm down a little, her sobs subsiding as she pulled back and took a tissue that Gordo offered. He always seemed to be ready with little things like that.

Miranda pulled herself together a bit and headed unsteadily over to a nearby bench. She sat down on it, pulling her knees up to her chin. Lizzie sat down close to her and pulled Miranda's hand into her own. Gordo squatted on the ground opposite of them. Miranda took a deep breath, almost like she was gathering courage to say what she needed to. "Guys," her voice was shaking slightly, "tonight my parents told me that I won't be going back to school with you guys next week…"

"What? What does that mean?" Lizzie asked in a panic. _Is she being home schooled now or something? Is someone sick? Is Miranda sick? _A cold feeling of dread spread through her body.

"It means… that we are going to be moving to Mexico with my mom's family…" Lizzie squinted at her, confused. "Permanently" she added. There was a long silence after this. Miranda's eyes were darting back and forth between Lizzie and Gordo. It seemed like time had stopped and Lizzie could only focus on the words that were just said. _Moving? To Mexico?_

"Miranda, I'm so sorry" Gordo sat down on the opposite side of her on the bench and wrapped his arm around her back. Miranda began to cry some more on his shoulder. Lizzie just sat there in shock, her hand still clutching on to Miranda's.

As the reality of it was finally sinking in, Lizzie's eyes began to well up with tears and a sob escaped from her own throat. Gordo shifted Miranda a little to the left and his arm pulled Lizzie in close with both of them. The three of them sat on the bench for a while clutching each other, both girls crying softly.

After a few moments Lizzie's crying subsided a little. "Why?" she choked out, her voice still thick with tears. She pulled her head away to get a better view of Miranda.

Miranda pulled back as well as she cleared her own throat. "My mom isn't happy here anymore… and her and my father have… well they've been fighting a lot recently. But when we went down to Mexico to visit my mom's family, she was happier than I've seen her in such a long time." She took a deep breath, "I think she misses her family."

There was another silence after this. Lizzie was staring at a tree across the clearing, watching as its leaves began to sway with the wind.

Gordo's words came back to her, _"Miranda and I will be there for you…"_

"But, what…" she faltered, "What about high school?" they both looked at her with sad eyes. "What about all of our plans?" Lizzie choked out. "We were supposed to have lockers next to each other."

"And get our licenses together" Miranda continued, not looking at either of them.

"And go for that road trip after we graduate…" Lizzie trailed off, letting the full gravity of the situation hit her slowly. She looked at Miranda's eyes, which were slowly filling with fresh tears. "Oh Miranda, I'm so sorry" Lizzie sighed, wrapping her arms around her friend.

Another soft breeze surrounded them and Lizzie shivered, pulling herself closer into Miranda's embrace. The silence seemed to stretch across the three of them.

"I have an idea" Gordo said thoughtfully after a few moments, his voice slightly strained. "What if we still do that?"

Miranda pulled away for a moment, "Huh?" she asked, her tear stained face contorted.

Gordo's mind seemed to be working a mile a minute. "What do you say" he paused, as if he were formulating it in his mind as he was speaking, "that we make a pact." He paused, smiling reassuringly at both of them, "That no matter where we are when we graduate, even if we haven't spoken to each other if four years" he paused again, "that we go for the road trip to end all road trips?" His eyes lit up as he smiled, as if he had already made up his mind on the subject.

There was another silence, but this silence didn't feel as empty as the ones before. Miranda's faced curved into a smile to match Gordo's, even though her eyes were still filled with tears. "I'm in" Miranda said simply.

"Me too" Lizzie felt her own face curve into a smile.

"Promise?" Miranda asked, biting her lip a bit.

"Promise" both Lizzie and Gordo said in unison, catching each other's eyes as they said it.

"Well let me stand up and give you two a proper hug." Miranda said with a small giggle. They all stood up together and the three of them hugged each other tightly.

"I love you guys" Miranda whispered, her voice choked up in happiness.

* * *

Lizzie McGuire sat up in her bed with a gasp. She looked around her room and was confused to find it still dark. Disoriented, she grabbed her cell off her nightstand, quickly turning on the display to read the time: 2:15 am. She breathed out slowly and adjusted herself so she was leaning up against the wall behind her bed. Letting her heart slow down to normal, she realized she was sweating. Pulling the comforter away from her she fanned herself, wishing her father would turn on the air conditioning already.

She quietly turned the lamp on her bedside table and slowly got out bed. _That was the third dream I've had about them this week_, she thought, sitting down in a chair next to her window. Curling her feet beneath her, Lizzie tried desperately to rid her mind of the images that were still in her mind.

_It was four years ago Lizzie, get a grip already_. Still trying to shake her head of the images seemed to be stuck there, Lizzie let her gaze travel around her room. She spotted her prom dress hanging in its plastic cover off her closet door. It was a long dress that was a halter top style that was creamy white with sparkled detail up the front. She remembered just two days ago when she had come down the stairs in it to greet her date, Michael Kramer, at the door. Trying to forget this image as well, she got up out of the chair, passing her white graduation cap and gown pressed and ready for the ceremony the next day, and pulled out the bottom drawer of her desk.

Pulling out several binders and sheets of music, she finally made it to the bottom. She settled down Indian style on the floor and fingered the cover of the pink and blue photo album she had pulled out of her drawer. She cleaned a little bit of the dust and grime off of the top of it and gathered up her courage to open it. Closing her eyes, she opened the album up to the very last page.

She sat there for a moment, breathing heavily while slowly opening her eyes. A picture of herself, Miranda, and Gordo stared back at her. They were standing in front of Miranda's old house, with a SOLD sign in the front of it. Miranda was standing in the middle and both Lizzie and Gordo had wrapped their arms around her. Miranda's eyes had looked happy, but still with a trace of sadness in them. It was the day Miranda had left to go to Mexico. _That was the last time I saw her,_ she thought.

Lizzie swallowed hard and shut the album quickly, hearing the thud of the pages hitting together. _It doesn't matter anyway._ _It's not like you speak to either of them anymore._ She shoved the album roughly into the bottom of her drawer, piling all of the papers and binders back on top of it. She pushed the drawer shut and quickly got up off the floor.

Switching the light off of her bedside table off, Lizzie jumped back into bed, pulling the covers around her. She shivered slightly, even though the room was still warm. She tried to clear her mind as she let her sleepiness take over.

As she slipped out of consciousness she could still hear Miranda's words echoing in her head, _"I love you guys"._


	2. Chapter 2 Guilt

**RoxyAnne- **Thanks a lot! That first chapter is my third favorite chapter in the whole story :o) (This chapter is one of the not as good ones, but it needed to happen to lay a little more groundwork with the story).

**Sivchik- **Thanks so much for the great review! You are so excited with you writing- I love it! Hope you continue to like it as much!

**JuanPablo- **Thanks! I love the alerts list- it makes it so easy to keep updated with all in the stories that are Work in Progress. Hope you continue on with it!

* * *

**Chapter 2- Guilt**

"Lisa Gomez" a calm female voice boomed through the football field.

Whenever Lizzie saw movies with a graduation in it on TV, people always seemed to be so sentimental. There were beautiful graduation speeches, heartfelt hugs from friends, and the handing out of diplomas would take a few minutes tops. You were supposed to remember graduation day for the rest of your life. It was a day that, until now, seemed extremely fun-filled and exciting. Granted, Margaret Chan's Valedictorian speech was pretty good (much better than her moment of horror at her middle school graduation) but the rest of the time was spent sitting in an uncomfortable folding chair waiting for them to mispronounce the over 700 names that were in her graduating class.

She checked her watch to find it was an hour and half into the ceremony and they were only halfway through the G's. _Are you kidding me?_

"Luis Gonzales" Lizzie shifted in her seat as the scattered applause rang through the stands. She started fidgeting with the tassle on her graduation cap.

"David Gordon" Lizzie head snapped up to the stage. A now much taller Gordo was striding purposefully across the stage to receive his diploma. He took his diploma from Mrs. Ungermyer, who smiled up at him. He smiled demurely as a photographer took a picture. He was, of course wearing his Nation Honors Society sash along with the many other cords from different societies he was apart of. Lizzie looked down at her feeble Tri-M Music Honors Society cord around her neck and rolled her eyes. _It's not like I ever had time for that academic stuff anyway…_

Lizzie looked back up and continued to watch Gordo as he climbed down off the stage and headed up the aisle to his seat. His hair still as curly and shaggy as 4 years previous, but his face had grown up considerably. Under his standard blue graduation robes that were a little short on his tall frame he seemed to be wearing black paints with his chucks with red laces. He walked up the aisle back to his row, his eyes following the ground as he walked. A split second before sitting down however, he looked up the aisle, catching eyes with her. His cold blue eyes penetrated into her. Lizzie felt her cheeks redden against their will. Cursing the fact that she had an aisle seat Lizzie looked quickly away, thoroughly annoyed with herself for being caught staring.

"Lizzie" an urgent whisper from behind broke her out of her reverie. "You coming to Sal's tonight?" her friend Jackie whispered to her from behind.

"I'll be there after recording tonight…" she whispered, "If Jay lets me."

"At least you'll be having fun at the studio! Hey, have you met anyone famous yet?" Jackie asked a bit too loudy. A teacher looked harshly at them from the middle aisle and put a finger to her lips to indicate silence.

Lizzie didn't say anything. Jay was her manager from BlueStar records. She remembered the first time she ever heard his voice about 3 years ago.

"_Hello?" she grabbed the phone off the hook in her kitchen._

"_Hello, is this Lizzie McGuire?" an older deep and scratchy male voice asked from the other end._

"_Yes, this is her." Lizzie was a little confused. She looked up at Gordo who was sitting at her counter, ice cream spoon in hand. He mouthed, 'Who is it?' Lizzie shrugged. "Can I ask who I am speaking with?"_

"_This is Jay Miller with Blue Star Records. Listen Lizzie, I'm going to be straight with you. I saw your performance in Italy and I am interested in offering you a contract with my record company." Lizzie's mouth fell open, " Would you and your parents be able to meet with me some time this week?"_

_Lizzie stood there in shock for a moment. Gordo got up from the counter and looked at her, "Are you okay? What's wrong?"_

_She nodded her head softly as she tried to process what was going on. "I don't know…" she said quietly, still in shock. _

"_I'm sorry?" Jay Miller questioned._

"_Um, I mean, I'll have to ask my parents, can they, um, call you back when they get home?" she was stuttering._

"_That would be fine" Jay answered, giving her his information._

_She hung up the phone quietly and looked up at Gordo who was leaning against the wall looking at her questioningly. "What's up?" he asked, "Is everything okay?"_

"_Yeah, everything fine." She paused, placing a hand on the wall to brace herself. "That was a guy from BlueStar records… he, he wants to offer me a recording contract." Something unrecognizable passed through Gordo's eyes._

"_What are you going to do?" he asked._

"_I don't know" she said, "I guess I'll take it. I mean, it sounds pretty exciting doesn't it?"_

"_Yeah… pretty exciting" he said, turning his back to her and sitting down at the counter again. She followed him over and stood at the counter in front of him._

"_Lizzie! I'm home!" Lizzie's mom called from the hallway._

"_Hey Mom, we're in here" Lizzie called. Mrs. McGuire came into the kitchen holding two shopping bags. _

"_How are you kids doing?" she asked, placing the shopping bags down on the counter._

"_Well, actually…" Lizzie told her about Jay's phone call. Mrs. McGuire's face lit up, pulling Lizzie into a hug. "Lizzie! That's so exciting! Oh, everyone will be so proud of you! We'll have to talk about it with your father… but, Oh Lizzie! My little girl!"_

"_Hey Lizzie, I've gotta run home" Gordo said from the doorway to the kitchen._

_Lizzie pulled out of her mother's embrace to look questioningly at Gordo. "But we haven't finished our ice cream yet-"_

"_Sorry, I just remembered this thing at home with my dad" he said, putting his coat on. "See you tomorrow."_

"Lizzie!" the girl to her left jabbed her hard in the ribs, "You need to go up onstage!" Lizzie jumped up and began to head up the aisle, being sure to keep her eyes down.

* * *

The ceremony finally over, Lizzie searched the mass of recent graduates taking pictures with their families for her own. She walked around the mass of people for a few minutes, her neck starting to sweat with the warm sun. She pulled her way through a large group of family members fussing over Margaret Chan only to find her prom date, Michael Kramer. His eyes lit up and he fought his way over to her.

"Hey Lizzie" he said hopefully. Lizzie drew in a breath and tried to back away.

"Hey Michael" she gave a fake smile and turned around to keep pushing through the crowd.

"Lizzie, wait up!" he called, catching up with her quickly.

"I've got to find my family Michael" she said, trying to stay pleasant.

He didn't seem to get the hint. "Listen, I was wondering if you wanted to go to Sal's party tonight together," he still kept with her.

"Michael, I told you before, I can't" she said a little too briskly.

"But, I thought we had a good time together" he said, looking crestfallen.

"I just don't have time in my schedule for it, I'm sorry" she pushed through the crowd and continued to search, feeling remorse for even accepting to go to prom with him in the first place.

_Lizzie stared down at the flowers placed in the middle of the table. They were an arrangement of red and white carnations, picked out by none other than the head of the prom committee, Kate. She smiled, remembering that dance in middle school where she and Kate were the heads of the committee together. _

"_Hey Lizzie" She looked up from the table to find Larry and Veruca smiling down at her. _

"_Hey guys" she smiled wide at her old friends. "How are you doing?"_

"_Well my dazzling pop star diva" Larry said slickly pulling off his top hat and placing it on the table, "We are doing splendid." He and Veruca were dressed in 1920's flapper gear, reminding Lizzie of the murder mystery party Ethan had held at her house back in the 8th grade. A memory of that party flashed across her mind, of Gordo standing very close to her on the front porch to her house._

"_Lizzie?" Veruca asked._

"_Huh?" she said quickly, feeling her cheeks turn pink._

"_We were just wondering how you are doing?" Larry looked sincere, like he really wanted to know. _

_That was the thing about Larry, he didn't just ask how you were doing and not listen- he really wanted to know. Most people she was friends with didn't stop to hear an answer. She took a deep breath, about to speak._

"_Lizzie?" Lizzie looked to her right and found Michael, arm outstretched and looking hopeful. It took her a second to figure out what he wanted. She noticed that a slow R & B song was playing while the couples on the dance floor were swaying in each others arms. She debated in her head for a moment. She could do what she wanted and refuse, but she had already said no to him a few times that night. _

"_Guys, do you mind?" she looked over at Larry and Veruca who nodded. "I'll come find you later" she said, wondering if she actually would or not._

_She looked back at Michael and took his hand, silently accepting. He led her out to the dance floor, his hand feeling cold and dry in her own. He stopped abruptly, turning around and pulling her close to himself. Lizzie felt distinctly uncomfortable at the closeness of this slow dance, but allowed his arms to pull her into himself. She put her head on his shoulder and looked out onto the dance floor behind him as he began to move. _

_She let her eyes scan the dance floor, searching. She saw Kate and Ethan, both wearing their King and Queen crowns, dancing comfortably together. She smiled at them, remembering how they had a huge fight just about an hour earlier, causing quite a commotion. 'It's good to know that not everyone changes' she thought sadly._

_She saw a flash of curly brown hair behind another couple they were dancing near. She shifted her head a bit on Michael's shoulder, trying to get a better view. The couple turned to the side with the music and Lizzie got a good view of Gordo closely slow dancing with Samantha Fuller. She was a lead actress in several of the plays Gordo had directed that year. She was wearing a beautiful lilac sleeveless gown. _

"Hey Lizzie!" she heard a voice call through the crowd, "Come take a picture with us!" She saw her friend Marissa standing close by, surrounded by a group of laughing girls.

"Actually I need to find my mom" Lizzie said, pulling herself out of her reverie and scanning the crowd, "Have you seen her?"

Marissa was already assembling a group of girls into a picture perfect pose, "Uh, no actually…" she paused, "She's got blonde hair right?"

Lizzie stood there for a moment, eyebrows raised. Marissa had met her mother several times when she had come to pick Lizzie up for parties. "Yeah… something like that." She turned and left the group, walking quickly.

It was another minute or two before she saw a glimpse of blonde hair that looked like her mothers. She began in the direction but realized that the woman was about a half a foot taller than her mother. Losing hope she quickly turned around again only to run smack right into the person she last wanted to see.

"Lizzie" he said urgently yet coolly, as Lizzie took two steps away from him to keep her distance.

"Gordo…" she said equally as cool. It was strange to have him be so much taller than she was and that she needed to look up when they talked. His hair was swept back from being in the graduation cap and he had shed his graduation robe to show a black button up shirt and black pants. _Typical director_, she thought.

"Listen, we need to talk" he said giving her a look that she couldn't quite read.

"What about?" she crossed her arms and let out an annoyed sigh, not looking at him.

"You _know_ what about…" he said, equally annoyed.

"Listen Gordo, I don't have time for this" she said, attempting to swallow the guilt rising up in her stomach while pushing away from him and allowing herself to become lost in the crowd.


	3. Chapter 3 Promises

**Ice Princess 11**- Hey there! I'm so glad you are able to see all the changes and enjoy them- but shhh!!! Don't give it away for all the people who haven't read it yet:o) I hope you really enjoy the rest of it as well because I'm loving re-writing it and am realizing just how much I love these characters!

**SivChik101**- Thanks so much! Just wait cause that chapter was one of the less exciting ones! (Very little Gordo time). Keep reading!

**Meminenotyou**- Thanks so much! I'm so glad you have so many questions right now, because that is definitely what I was going for in the first chapters, to set up the story so that you have all those questions then later answer them as you go along! I hope I answer all of them for you :o)

**Popkornchicken**- I'm really glad that you've enjoyed the re-editing of the story because I think that it is just so much better now than it was before (If you want more explanation of why I'm re-writing see my responses to Dear Lizzie and Jake below). As far as a new fic, I would love to write another Lizzie/Gordo fiction because I've loved this one so much. I am trying to think of a great story line at the moment, because for me, it's all about a good story!

**Dear Lizzie- **Thanks so much for your review this summer! It was actually your review that spurred me to re-read my story and decide that it needed to be re-written. I really debated on re-posting it actually, but I figured why not let everyone see how much better the story was now. I feel like I matured so much throughout my last story- the beginning of the story didn't have much detail at all but as I got through it, it got better and better. So I basically wanted to bring that level of maturity to the entire story.

**Jake- **It's so good to hear from you again! Like I said in Dear Lizzie's response above, I really did debate for a while about reposting the story. But after reading it through once myself, I just really felt like it was lacking so much. If you have the old version of the story, it's the same storyline but I'm adding a lot in, for instance in the last chapter I didn't have the prom scene flashback or the flashback about Jay calling her for the first time. Most of the descriptions throughout the chapters are new as well and they are about 3 times as long as before. So thanks for sticking with my writing and I hope that you will continue to read my stuff, especially if I keep it up and actually start a new story!

**KittyDoggyLover**- Thanks for your praise about the story! As far as things looking up for Lizzie, Gordo, and Miranda- well, we have a long road ahead of us (I love making road trip puns). (In case you haven't realized, this story is about a road trip :o) )

**Juan Pablo**- Thanks for being so quick with all your reviews- let me know if there is anything you like or don't like, etc. I love constructive criticism!

**Roxy Anne**- I'm so glad you liked that last chapter! That flashback wasn't actually in the first version of this story, so I'm glad that it added a new dimension. As far as it being not my favorite chapter- that just goes to show how much better the rest of the chapters get after this! winknudgewink

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**A General Note to everyone- **I'm so, so sorry for not updating until now! I wanted to update almost a week ago and hasn't let me upload my chapter, it kept coming up with some error message until just this afternoon! So, without further delay- Here is your chapter!

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**Chapter 3 Promises**

"Lizzie, are you concentrating at all? Where is your mind tonight?" Jay burst through the door of the recording room, his hands in the air.

Lizzie frowned and knew that she had not really paid attention to his last bit of instructions. "Listen, Jay I'm sorry… I didn't sleep well last night" she said lamely, taking off her headphones.

"Lizzie" he said, rolling up his sleeves and sitting down on a stool across from her, "We are already extremely late in recording this album as it is." He sounded bitter about this. She knew that it annoyed him to no end that she continued on with high school, even though he kept insisting that she didn't need it. He continued on, rubbing his eyes in frustration. "We have these last bits of touch ups on a few of the tracks tonight and tomorrow afternoon and then you'll be done so we can start promoting."

"I know I'm… I'm really sorry Jay" she started playing with the wires from her headphone, "I promise I'll give one hundred percent from here on out." She checked her watch- it was already 10:15. Would she be able to make it to Sal's party? _Do I even want to go?_

"Okay, well I need you to really emphasize that direct modulation and hold out that C note for an extra beat." He rattled, "On the last go you weren't able to hold it out because you didn't breathe properly at all. You breathe with your diaphragm, you know these things Lizzie." He sounded disappointed in her.

She took a deep breath, "I'll do it right this time." Not knowing what else to say, she stepped back up to the microphone and pulled on her headphones.

She tried it several more times, and after several more long winded instructions from Jay, he said it was time to wrap up. She checked her watch: 11:07. She hurried to grab her bag, hoping to make it to the party before she was too tired. Jay followed her down the hallway, giving her a schedule for what they would be doing the next day. After he finished he looked at her, his eyes narrowed. "You seem rushed to leave- What are you up to tonight?" Jay asked, his tone measured.

"Um…" she stalled, figiting with the strap of her bag. She was never able to lie. "A party?"

Jay just looked at her before answering. "You have dance rehearsal from 7 to 1 tomorrow and then you have to finish up those voice tracks in the afternoon." He was looking at her as if he couldn't even believe she was asking. "I don't think so" he said, his tone a little more harsh than before.

"But Jay, I graduated today, please can't I just this once--"

He cut her off, grabbing her shoulder to stop her dead in her tracks, "Do you want to be a singer Lizzie? Are you serious about this or do you want to be like every other small town girl trying to make it in this business?" Lizzie's eyes narrowed at this statement, "This is what it takes Lizzie and if can't measure up then you will end up a nobody."

She let silence fall over them for a moment, thinking. "I'll be here at 6:45 on the dot" she finally replied dejectedly.

* * *

She pulled into the driveway 35 minutes later, still feeling rather depressed. She slowly entered the house, but was surprised to find a light still on in her kitchen. "Mom?" she asked quietly, seeing her mother sitting at the counter, drinking coffee, "What are you still doing up?"

Her mom smiled over her coffee, "Just thinking." She indicated the stool to her right, "Want a seat?"

"Sure" Lizzie smiled, grabbing a cup of water and filling it up before sitting down. She really enjoyed her talks with her mom, because it was often the only time she was able to let her guard down and speak without restriction to someone. Her mother looked at her closely, as if she were trying to gauge something. "Is everything okay Mom?" Lizzie asked, wondering if there was bad news coming.

"Oh, everything's fine" her mother sighed, taking a deep sip from her mug. "I just get so sad, my little girl…all grown up now." Lizzie smiled, rolling her eyes.

Eager to leave the subject of growing up behind, Lizzie said, "It's not as if I'm leaving anytime soon Mom, so don't worry about losing me just yet."

Her mother's eyebrows knitted together, "How did recording go today? You are home awfully late."

Lizzie put her head into her hands, "Not so good."

Her mother's hand started to rub her back consolingly, "You seem to be having a lot of those lately."

"I have…I just have trouble concentrating sometimes. I don't know why. Jay is starting to get really upset with me" her voice sounded oddly constricted all of a sudden.

Her mother sighed deeply. "I don't know Lizzie. Sometimes I wonder if you need a break. This whole singing thing… it forced you to grow up so fast you missed out on being a teenager."

Lizzie looked down into her water glass, feeling the lump in her throat grow even larger. Her mom hesitated, as if she were gathering up the courage to say something. Lizzie looked over at her. "I…" her mom started, "I saw Gordo and his parents today."

"Mom" Lizzie said warningly, "Don't start with that again."

"I'm just saying maybe it's time-"

Lizzie cut her off, "It's not time for anything mom." There was a thick silence that fell across the room. Lizzie instantly felt guilty for her angry tone.

"I'm sorry" her mother finally said, "Just think about it alright?"

Lizzie, wanting desperately to leave the subject, got up from the counter and dumped the rest of her water in the sink. "Yeah, okay."

"Be quiet as you walk up the stairs" her mother warned, "You dad is taking your brother on a father-son fishing trip tomorrow at 5 am."

Lizzie let out a laugh, imagining her brother half asleep as her father tried to figure out a fishing pole. "Night Mom, love you."

"Love you too Lizzie."

Relieved to finally be done, Lizzie let out a breath and leaned back against the pillows scattered across her bed. She realized at that point just how tired she was after such a long day. She knew she still needed to change into her pajamas and brush her teeth, but she couldn't gather the energy just yet.

**Tink!** A loud noise from the window sounded to her left, causing Lizzie to jump up into a sitting position. _What the heck was that? _She stood cautiously and walked over to her window, wondering if she imagined the sound or not. **Tink!** It happened again, and this time she realized that it was a pebble hitting her window and bouncing back onto the roof. She opened her window and stuck her head out cautiously, half expecting to see a psycho-killer standing there with a chainsaw. Instead she saw Gordo standing in the driveway, arm held up in the air as if he were about to throw another pebble. _Close enough_, she thought.

"What do you want?" she whispered accusingly.

"We need to talk, _now_" he said forcefully.

"Shhhh!" she shushed him, "My parents are asleep!"

"Then come down here" he lowered his voice a half a volume. She pulled herself out of the window and shut it quietly in order to block the sound before continuing on with the conversation.

"No" she said, still whispering, pulling herself down into squatting position on the roof, careful to hold on tightly to the side of the house.

He raised an eyebrow. "Fine, I'll stay here all night, and I have enough pebbles to throw at your window to keep you up for hours" he held up a handful of gravel.

"You wouldn't do that" Lizzie said, tightening her hold on the siding of her house.

"Try me." He smiled widely as he threw a pebble up into the air with his left hand and caught it.

Lizzie stared down at him for a moment before realizing that he was serious. "Were you always this irritating?" she asked, her eyes narrowed down at him. He only smirked up at her as she sat there for a moment, debating her options. She could use the front door, but that would most likely wake the family up. She looked down at the ground from where she was sitting, and suddenly felt a little nauseous. _Why didn't it seem this far up back when I was 14? _Defeated, she crawled to the corner of her garage and held her legs over the side, deliberating on whether or not to jump. It seemed about a mile off the ground.

Gordo was still standing on the driveway, pebbles in hand. He seemed to realize her predicament but just stood there with this little smirk on his face. "Need help?" he asked, his eyes shining. She eyed him from up above, unable to believe she was stuck in such a situation. He was still wearing those stupid shoes of his.

"No" she glared at him and starred down at the ground again for a moment. Her stomach gave a lurch at the thought of jumping down. "Maybe…" she admitted.

"Please?" he prompted smugly, strolling down to the spot under where she was.

"I can't believe this…" there was a long silence and they both starred at each other stubbornly, his blue eyes boring into hers. She let out a hard breath. "…Please."

He positioned himself underneath her and lifted up his hands which she placed her feet upon. Grabbing a hold of the roof for dear life, Lizzie tried not to look down at the ground, but instead focused down at the brown curls beneath her. He was a lot taller now, and his arms felt a lot sturdier than before. He was being gentle, letting her down slowly, with a firm yet tender grasp of her legs. Once she was low enough she let go of the roof and he shifted his hands to her hips, needing to hug her body to his own while he did this. Lizzie felt her cheeks grow warm as her body reacted to this feeling. She had no place to put her hands, so she was forced to place them firmly on his now broad shoulders. He lowered her painstakingly slow, his hands lingering on her hips as he placed her down in front of him so that they were face to face.

Lizzie finally let out the breath that she had been holding for the past 30 seconds, "Thanks." Her eyes seemed to be transfixed to his. They stood there for a second before Lizzie pulled herself away from his gaze and quickly started down to the end of the driveway. When she noticed he wasn't following she turned around and placed her hands on her hips, which were still tingling slightly. "Well, are you coming?"

"Yeah" he said, catching up with her as they began walking down her street.

"What do you want?" she said a little too quickly.

"It's about Miranda." He said, stuffing his hands in his pockets as they walked.

"Listen, Gordo" Lizzie started, ready for this, "If you think that I'm going to drive halfway across the country for some stupid road trip right now, you're out of your mind." She stopped and turned to face him, "In case you've forgotten, I've got a record coming out soon-"

He interrupted her, "Miranda's dad left." He said this forcefully.

"What?" she asked.

"Left. Walked out. He just left Miranda to deal with the mess." He stuffed his hands in his pockets again, looking agitated.

"Wh…" Lizzie hesitated, "When did it happen?"

"About a week and a half ago… She told me that she's going to be working full time all summer to help support her mom. She's not taking it too well." Lizzie bit her lip and he continued, "So she said that since the two of us barely talk anymore and since you don't talk to…" he looked at her pointedly, "either of us, plus the fact that she has to work… well she thought that maybe we should cancel the road-trip." He seemed to be searching her for something.

"So what do you want me to say?" she exclaimed, obviously upset.

"I don't think we should cancel" he looked down, sweeping his hand through his hair.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, Miranda needs us!" he exclaimed. He looked at her, "I'm going to take a road-trip to go see her and stay with her for a while in Mexico and I want you to come too. I'm leaving the day after tomorrow and probably won't be back for two weeks or so."

"What do you mean? You are driving down to Mexico to go see someone you haven't seen in 4 years" she said incredulously, turning her head away from him and wincing at her own sarcasm.

"No" he said, obviously trying to stay calm, "I am going to see my best friend because she needs me. I'm leaving the day after tomorrow from my house at 8am, and…" he paused, taking a deep breath, "…and I want you to be there."

"So what? You're saying that I should just leave everything for the next two weeks? I can't just drop my life for this Gordo!" Lizzie cried, trying not to look him straight in the eyes.

"Lizzie" he said forcefully, grabbing her shoulders and forcing her too look at him square in the face. He had an almost pleading look in his eyes. Lizzie felt her breath catch in her throat. "She needs us. Not just me, but you too. Lizzie, you may have a ton of people in your life you can call friends, but she doesn't." Lizzie bit her lip at these words. "She doesn't have anyone she can turn to right now. Please Lizzie, if not for me, then for her."

She stared at him, as his eyes searched deep into her own. "Gordo… I… I can't…" she whispered, her voice choked up. She pulled herself from his grasp, pulling her arms around herself as she walked away from him.

"You made a promise Lizzie" he called after her.

She stopped in her tracks, a lone tear falling down her face. She blinked and two more fell. "I know… I just… I just can't" she said quietly, and continued to walk away.


	4. Chapter 4 Wounds

**Andy**- Welcome to the wonderful world of Lizzie McGuire Fan Fiction! Of all the FF communities out there- I think that LM is definitely the best- we may not be the biggest out there but everyone is so nice and constructive to each other here. So I hope you stick around and I really hope you enjoy my story!

**JuanPablo**- Thanks so much for your praise- and I completely understand about the college stuff! I'm graduating (college) this year, so not only do I have exams and upper level classes- but I also have a job search to do! It's crazy!

**RoxyAnne**- I definitely know what you mean about promises you make when you are younger- the only one I ever made was to go on the Price is Right with my best friend :o) I guess we'll have to get on that before Bob Barker retires! As far as going into why Gordo and Lizzie don't talk anymore- don't worry- that will definitely be covered! This is only the tip of the iceberg and we've got a few more chapters to go before we figure out the whole story.

**Siv**- lol! If we both fail our exams we can both blame it on this story! Maybe we can switch exams- want to take my Calculus II final for me:o)

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For everyone- Also, I want to give due credit- in the beginning of this chapter I have some lyrics that Lizzie sings for her album- I tried to write my own, but seeing as I am not a song writer, I had to borrow some lyrics. So the song she sings is "My Wonderful," by Jessica Simpson. I hope you enjoy this chapter- it's a bit heavy, and probably one of the more emo chapters of the story. Next chapter however, winknudgewink is not to be missed!

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**Chapter 4- Wounds**

"I gotta have him close to me, Each and every night, To give me that security, Of dreamin and delight" Lizzie rolled her eyes at the lyrics to the song she was singing. She really should have argued about letting the studio pick out this one. "Love has got a grip on me, Oh so tight, Hope he never lets go…"

Lizzie held out the last note and let it trail off slowly as the instrumental bridge played quietly in her earphones. She stifled a yawn, evidence of her boredom mixed with a lack of sleep from the night before.

"…_and I want you to be there…" _Gordo's voice invaded her thoughts.

Out of the corner of her eyes she saw a commotion through the glass window separating her from the audio room. She took in a sharp breath as she realized that she had missed her next entrance in the song. Jay had thrown off his headphones and was now bursting, yet again, through the door of the studio.

"Lizzie! Where has your head been lately! Jessica told me that you stumbled through your choreography this morning and now you can't remember the words to your own songs?" Jay cried exasperatedly, pulling his hands through his hair. Lizzie pulled her head headphones off roughly, frustrated with herself that she kept messing up. For some reason she couldn't keep her mind off of the night before.

"I know Jay… I'm sorry" she said, "Can I take a break?"

"Be back in 5 minutes" he said, throwing his hands up in the air and storming back into the audio room.

* * *

Lizzie walked outside and sat on a bench, shielding her eyes from the bright sun. _It's gorgeous out today, _she thought, feeling the warm breeze on her skin. She closed her eyes for a moment, focusing on the feeling of the breeze and sun which seemed to wake her up considerably. Lizzie's mind wandered once again to the night before. She had, without Gordo's help, been unable to get back into her room without using the key under the doormat to let herself in. Because of that she had run into her mother again, who was finishing up cleaning her coffee cup in the kitchen.

"_Lizzie?" her Mom had popped her head into the door, her eyes widened in shock at seeing her daughter enter the front door again. "What were you doing outside?"_

_Lizzie stood there for a moment, trying to figure out a lie to tell her Mom. There wasn't much she could say to cover this one up. Plus, she knew she was a terrible liar. "I was..." Lizzie hesitated, "I was talking to Gordo. He came to my window." Her mom blinked for a moment, digesting what Lizzie had just told her. _

_Then she pulled her arm around Lizzie's shoulder, "Want to talk about it?"_

_Lizzie bit her lip and nodded, small tears gathering at the corner of her eyes. _

She wasn't sure why, but she hadn't been able to tell her mom the whole story. She told her about Miranda's parents splitting up and how Gordo wanted to take a trip down to visit, but she had left out everything else out, particularly about their promise in the 9th grade. Even without the full story, her mother's reaction didn't surprise her.

"_Lizzie..." she said, her arm still wrapped around Lizzie's shoulders, "What do you want to do?"_

_Lizzie looked up at her mother, biting her lip. "I can't go Mom, you know that."_

"_I didn't ask what you had to do Lizzie… I asked what you want to do" her mother said softly._

_Lizzie gazed up at her mother, fresh tears forming in her eyes. She wanted to go, she really did. But after what happened between her and Gordo…was it even possible? 'Maybe some wounds run too deep' she thought sadly._

She heard Britney Spears blaring from a jeep at a stoplight across the parking lot. A group of laughing teenagers clad in bright bathing suits occupied it. She placed her head in her hands and sighed deeply.

* * *

"Gordo, we're going to miss you" his mom continued to hug him tightly.

"Mom" he sighed, "I'll be fine. It's only about 2 days of driving to the border and another 2 hours or so to Miranda's. I plan on taking plenty of stops along the way…" there was a pause, "Mom?"

"Sorry" she said, quickly letting him go.

He stopped in front of his Dad, who gave him an affectionate man half-pat-half-hug and said, "Be safe son."

"Will do Dad" he replied.

He scooped up his bag and supply of food his mother had packed for him and headed to his truck in the driveway. The sky was a greenish-gray and the wind was starting to pick up. Realizing a storm was on its way he quickly packed up his things in the back of his cab using bungee cords with a tarp to hold them down and shield them from the rain. Before jumping into his truck he checked his watch one last time…8:13. He looked up and down the street and felt his stomach drop when he realized she really wasn't coming.

_Not that I really expected her to care anyway._

He slowly opened his door, checked the street one last time and started up his truck. He sat there for a moment, his eyes closed tightly. Finally, he pulled into reverse as he checked his rearview. About half way down the drive way however, he heard a car honking wildly. He pulled his truck into park and saw a white Honda civic pull up beside him. He unsuccessfully tried to hold down a grin while he hopped out and leaned up against his truck. Lizzie jumped out of the car, giant suitcase in tow, "I'm here, I'm here" she exclaimed, long blonde hair flying around in the wind.

"You're late" he crossed his ankles in front of each other.

"So sue me, it's early and I had to get some coffee before I was functional. Can you help me get my other bag?"

"Other bag?" he asked incredulously, "Isn't that wonder case enough to last you a month?"

"Very funny" she said, struggling to lift the smaller of her two suitcases into the back of his truck.

After everything was finally packed down and covered with the tarp they both got in, Gordo in the driver's seat. "You brought your passport to get over the border right?" he asked.

"Yeah. So do you have a plan for this whole trip?" she asked, grabbing the map off the dash.

"Sort of, but you can't plan these things out"

"Why not?"

"Because you just can't, that's not how road-trips work. You have to let go and let the road lead you on an adventure." Lizzie rolled her yes. He started up the car, the sounds of jazz music slowly filling the air.

"What is this?" she wrinkled her nose.

"Louie Armstrong" he said, as if it was common knowledge. She stared at him. "Possibly the best jazz musician of all time?"

"Whatever," she said, leaning her chair back, "I pick the next CD"

He shook his head. "This is going to be a long ride."

Thick droplets of rain began to splash onto the windshield causing Gordo to both flip on his headlights and windshield wipers. He merged easily onto I-5, considering that it was only 8:30 on a Saturday morning. He glanced over at Lizzie, who looked apprehensive but with a trace of excitement in her eyes. It was amazing how after almost three years of not speaking to each other he could still read her facial expressions like a book.

"By the way, you do know how to drive a clutch right?" Gordo, asked, pulling into the left lane.

Lizzie squinted one eye, "Not exactly."

"And by, 'not exactly,' you mean, not at all?" he said, smirking.

"Yeah, something like that" she said, a distinct air in her voice.

"I can try and teach you later" he said casually, "I mean, if you're up for it." He seemed to be challenging her.

"I'm up for it" she said quickly.

"Good" was all he said, still looking ahead at the road.

The song that had been playing ended, leaving the car in an uncomfortable silence. Lizzie shifted in her seat, staring around at Gordo's car. It was uncharacteristically clean for the average high school senior. But then again, Gordo was anything but normal. "So how did you convince Jay to let you come?" he said, breaking the awkwardness that was currently blanketing the car.

Lizzie felt her stomach drop at the sound of his name. "Uh… see that's the thing… I didn't exactly tell him I was coming" she mumbled.

"You what!" he exclaimed, knowing exactly how Jay would react to this. "Did you at least tell you parents?!"

"Of course I did!" she countered, "My mom wanted me to come." Her mother had been trying to push her and Gordo back to being friends for 3 years and now that she finally was doing something, even if it was a 2 week long road trip she didn't exactly feel comfortable with, she couldn't let Lizzie pass it up.

"Why _did _you come?" he asked bluntly, looking quickly over at her.

"Because of Miranda." She said quickly, looking away from his glare. The rain was coming down in thick sheets now, the windshield wipers working frantically to clear their vision.

A few more minutes passed and Lizzie suddenly spoke, "How did you convince Samantha to let _you_ come?" Samantha was the lead actress in one of the many plays Gordo had directed his senior year.

"I broke up with her a few weeks ago" he said, keeping his eyes ahead of him.

"Oh… didn't you go to prom together though?" she questioned, staring at the bands of rain coming across the passenger window.

"Yeah, but just as friends" he said simply, his tone slightly uncomfortable, but still sounding cool.

"How long did you go out?" she continued to question. He looked at her quizzically.

"If you must know…" he paused, "About a month, nothing serious."

"Oh." Lizzie said, tapping her fingers on the armrest. Silence.

"Where are you going to college?" she asked.

"What is this, 20 questions?" he joked, and seeing a flash of irritation cross her eyes he backed off, "Sorry, I was just kidding…Well I was accepted to the Academy of Arts College in San Diego…"

"Wow that's great, you're going to major in film?" she smiled.

"Yeah…well, what are your plans for next fall?" he asked, trying to take the attention of himself.

"Well Jay wants me to start touring around trying to get my new single out" she answered mechanically.

"And what do you want to do?" he asked. Lizzie looked at him with wide eyes and was quiet for a moment.

"That's what I want to do." She said, very slowly.

"Are you sure Lizzie?" he said skeptically.

"Since when do you have the right to say what I want? You don't know what I want Gordo." she said, raising her voice in frustration. _Even after three years he still has to go into this?_ she thought bitterly.

"I don't think you know what you want Lizzie" he said, his voice still composed.

"How dare you say that!" she finally broke into a yell.

"Why are you here Lizzie?" he asked again, his voice almost as frustrated as her own.

"That's none of your business!"

"Fine" he spat out.

"Fine!" she yelled in exasperation. _What was I thinking when I decided to come?_ She thought, slumping down in her seat. _We are only 20 minutes into the trip and we're already fighting…_

* * *

_Lizzie pulled her clogs off and propped her feet up on the dashboard of her mothers car. "When is Gordo expecting you?" her mother asked her, glancing over at her while driving her home from voice lessons._

"_About an hour ago" Lizzie answered, putting her head in her hands and sighing. She was just beginning her lessons with Jay to stretch her range, but this was the second practice this week that had gone over an hour late. Her voice felt hoarse._

"_Want me to come pick you up later?" her mother asked, pulling up to Gordo's house._

"_No, that's ok." Lizzie answered, pulling her shoes back on and unlocking the door, "It's not far, I can walk."_

"_Will you be home for dinner?" her mother asked, handing Lizzie her purse from the floor._

"_Most likely not" Lizzie answered, thinking she would eat with Gordo and his parents._

"_That's fine" her mother answered, smiling. She seemed to like it whenever Lizzie spent time with Gordo. "Be home before 9."_

_Her mother drove away as Mrs. Gordon opened the door and smiled brightly at Lizzie, "Hi Lizzie, It's been a while." She motioned for Lizzie to come on in._

"_I've been so busy with all those voice lessons lately" Lizzie said, shrugging off her windbreaker, "I'm sorry I haven't been around to see you though. I love your new hair cut." _

_Mrs. Gordon smiled, pulling her hand up to her now short curly hair, "Thanks sweetie. Gordo's upstairs on the phone with Miranda, if you want to head on up."_

"_Thanks Mrs. Gordon" Lizzie said, as she guiltily walked up the stairs. Miranda, Gordo and her had a weekly ritual where Gordo and Lizzie would call Miranda and they would all talk together on the phone. Due to the extra cost of 3-way calling for long distance calls, Lizzie and Gordo would alternate whose house they would go to and call from the same line. When they started right after Miranda left they all promised each other they would always do call every Wednesday at 5:30. She glanced at her watch. 6:22._

_She walked tentatively to the door that was halfway open. Peeking her head in, she saw Gordo laying on his bed and talking on the phone. She bit her lip and walked slowly into the room. He glanced up from the bed and gave her a strange expression. His held out his hand wordlessly, the cordless telephone from downstairs in it. She took it as he said into his receiver, "Lizzie's here."_

_She pressed the talk button and said, "Hey Miranda!"_

"_Hey Lizzie" Miranda's voice came on the other end, sounding a little quiet._

"_I'm so sorry I'm late Miranda, voice lessons ran late again." Lizzie explained._

"_Jay seems like a pretty tough manager" Miranda said._

"_I guess so, but you won't believe the people I've met at the recording studio! My dance coach worked with Mandy Moore when she first started."_

"_Wow" Miranda said, sounding truly happy for her._

"_Yeah it's exciting, but how is Mexico going?" Lizzie asked, sitting down on the bed near Gordo._

"_It's okay. I'm still struggling to transition into my classes because of the language difference, but it seems to be going better now that I'm getting tutoring. And my grandmother is out of the hospital, so that's good. How is everything else going for you?"_

_Lizzie paused and glanced at Gordo, who wasn't looking at her but instead staring out the window, "It's okay I guess."_

"_So Miranda-" Gordo interrupted, "You were telling me about how your dance class performance?" Lizzie continued to watch Gordo, who was still lying down on the bed. He still wasn't looking at her._

"_I'm so, so excited about it- the dancing styles down here are just so different! We do this one mambo number with partners and I am out of breath about 20 seconds into the song. And-" she paused and Lizzie heard sound muffled sound in the background._

"_Miranda?" Lizzie asked._

"_Oh hey guys" Miranda's voice came back on the line, "I've got to get going and help my mom finish getting dinner ready. All my cousins are here."_

"_Have fun at dinner." Gordo said, "We'll talk to you next week."_

"_Bye" Miranda said, Lizzie and Gordo echoing her before they all hung up._

_There was a silence as neither Lizzie nor Gordo said anything. She looked over at him on the bed. He was lying on his back, staring up at the ceiling. She scooted over to sit closer to him and looked down on his face. "Gordo?" she said in a small voice, "I'm sorry."_

_He didn't say anything for a second before saying in a calm voice, "Hey don't worry about me, maybe we never get to hang out anymore but at least I see you at lunch time. Miranda never gets to see you."_

"_Gordo, that's not fair" she said, hurt, "I said I was sorry." She thought for a second, "And it isn't my entire fault we never see each other this year- you've been spending all your time with the drama club." She had an accusatory tone in her voice._

"_Well I'm sorry if I like to enjoy myself sometimes" he said, sitting up and facing away from her._

_This hit Lizzie like a ton of bricks. She was silent for a second before gathering up her courage and whispering, "So you're saying you don't have fun with me anymore?" She felt tears fill her eyes._

_He turned around and Lizzie saw his face fall as he took in her teary eyes and downcast face. "Lizzie…" he got up and sat next to her, "That's not what I meant." He sighed deeply._

"_Well then what did you mean?" Lizzie felt a knot form in the back of her throat. 'Is this why he doesn't like me anymore?' she wondered._

_He stared into her eyes, his light blue eyes full of sadness and something that Lizzie couldn't read. She continued to hold his gaze and his face twitched, as if he were trying to say something but couldn't. He looked away suddenly and pulled his hand through his dark curls, looking unsettled, "It's just hard to be around you sometimes, that's all."_

"_What does that mean?" Lizzie felt a tear fall out of the corner of her right eye. She put her hand on top of his, desperate to touch him, to feel his reassurance. He looked up at her, his eyes darkening when he glanced at her face. His face twisted and he seemed to struggle with himself for a moment._

"_Nothing…" he said, looking away from her, but not moving his hand, "I'm not sure what I meant. Look Lizzie, I'm sorry. I didn't mean what I said before, I was just upset about you missing Miranda's call. Let's call it even?" He glanced up at her. He was lying and she knew it._

_She nodded, even as fresh tears filled her eyes. He looked at her tears and seemed to hesitate for a few seconds before pulling his arms around her tentatively. He seemed like he was trying not to hold her too tightly. 'He's even afraid to touch me anymore' Lizzie thought sadly._

* * *

The rain was coming down so hard now that Gordo needed to slow down in order to be able to see the cars in front of him. Lizzie stared outside, her mind still transported to the past. She glanced over at Gordo, who was concentrating hard on driving in the pouring rain. She tried not to let her mind jump ahead to what had happened just a month after that day in Gordo's room. Her own thoughts came back to her, '_Maybe some wounds run too deep.'_

* * *

Consider this my plea for reviews :o) It really helps to have feedback on what I am writing and to give me motivation to keep going! 


	5. Chapter 5 All Grown Up

**Siv**- Yes, I would definitely take Calculus II over Chemistry! I took chemistry in high school and chem. 101 and 102 in college, and I hated every single minute of it! Good luck!

**Juan Pablo**- Thanks so much for your praise about the flashbacks- I actually didn't put as many flashbacks in the last version of this story, so it's good to know people like them! It is an LG- as you will certainly see in this chapter- so don't worry about that!

**Neithan**- I'm so glad that you've enjoyed my story so far- it only gets better from here! Also, welcome to the site- I hope that if you like the Lizzie section enough you will write your own fiction some day- there aren't enough on this site and I absolutely love these two characters. Hope to continue hearing your feedback!

**KittyDoggyLover**- Thanks for your continued praise on my story- this chapter is my favorite so I hope you like this one just as much!

**Yet another note to everyone- **I changed the rating of the story up to T because of this chapter. I wasn't sure if it was overstepping the boundaries, so I thought I'd better be safe than sorry!

* * *

**Chapter 5- All Grown Up**

* * *

"Uh… Are you sure about this room Gordo?" Lizzie held her bag carefully against her chest, afraid to put it down on the comforter that looked like a brownish shade of green.

"I'm sorry it's not the Plaza Lizzie but we have a long trip ahead of us with limited funds… At least we got a room with two beds." Gordo sighed and began rummaging through his bag.

Lizzie eyed the bed warily before uneasily sitting down on the edge of it. It made a loud creek. "Okay, but if I see anything else living in this room tonight besides us, I'm sleeping in the car."

Gordo just rolled his eyes. "I'm headed down to the pool." He pulled his swimsuit out from his bag and went to change in the bathroom.

"Whatever." She jumped off the bed and grabbed her cell phone out of her bag and turned it on. It had been a long day of driving, Gordo taking the whole day because she didn't know how to drive the clutch. After their blow-up that morning, Gordo didn't mention trying to teach her again. A moment later she heard the soft click of the door, indicating he had left.

Her phone beeped, signaling her she had new messages. She flipped it open and read the display: 8 new voicemails. Her stomach clenched and she quickly dialed her answering service to get them. The first two was from Jay, scolding her for being late. Guilt filled her stomach as she realized the third was her mother, yelling at her for not telling Jay where she was going. After hearing two more from Jay, each one louder than the next, she flipped her phone shut. Trying to push away all thoughts of Jay and Gordo and her mom and the driving they needed to do the next day, Lizzie began to flip through the channels of the miniscule TV that was sitting in the corner.

She saw 3 channels worth of news, the weather channel, a documentary on the mating habits of the red-faced warbler birds of North Dakota, and 3 channels of static before it started over at the first channel. Lizzie rolled over and exasperatedly turned off the television. "32 bucks a night and no HBO?"

She stared at the ceiling for a few moments, debating. _The last thing I want to do is go down and hang out with HIM at the pool…_ Rolling over again she checked the time on the clock on the night table next to the bed… only 9:43. She quickly ran over a check list of things she could do… call someone… but who? She could call her mom to apologize for not telling Jay, but she didn't want to risk waking her father up.

She finally decided to give her friend Jackie a call, flipping her phone open and finding her name in the address book. It rang a few times before she actually picked up.

"Heello?" her speech sounding slurred. Lizzie inwardly groaned realizing that Jackie was smashed.

"Uh… hey Jackie… it's Lizzie…" she said.

"Lizzie! How aree you?!" she practically yelled into the mouthpiece. Lizzie held the phone away from her ear.

"I'm doing well…" she said nervously… "I'm in Phoenix right now actually" uncertain of what to say.

"You should totally come to this amazing party tonight at Andrew's! His parents are giving us free beer!" She giggled. Lizzie was quiet.

"Uh, yeah I'll try and stop by later Jackie…" Lizzie softly spoke, knowing she wouldn't remember this conversation in the morning anyway.

"Awesome!" She slurred and music began to blare loudly in the background. Lizzie flipped her phone shut, not caring if she said goodbye or not.

"What great friends I have" she whispered, pulling her knees up to her chest.

Continuing to go through a check list in her head she went over the options for the night. She could read… the phone book lying on the table in the corner… _scratch that_. She could play solitaire… except she didn't bring cards. _Scratch that_. There always was that documentary on the mating habits of red-faced warbler birds in North Dakota…

She stood up and walked over to the window that was facing the courtyard and glanced down at the pool. _No Lizzie, no way…_

* * *

Ten minutes later Lizzie quietly opened the gate to the pool entrance and let her eyes fall on Gordo, who was doing laps in the pool. She placed her towel next to his on a chair and debated on actually getting in. Coming to a decision that she wouldn't, she took off only her flip-flops and sat on the edge of the pool, letting her feet get wet. 

From this closer standpoint she was able to get a better look at Gordo. She hadn't seen him without a shirt on in a few years and for some reason she assumed he would look exactly the same. _Looks like I was wrong about that_… she felt her cheeks redden but was unable to look away from his toned chest and shoulders. Granted he was still lanky from growing so quickly in such a short time and he wasn't even close to a muscle builder- but he definitely wasn't 14 anymore. Not noticing the fact that she was obviously staring at him, she quietly watched him take laps back and forth across the pool, his strong arms slicing gracefully through the water.

He reached the end of one side and stopped, pulling her out of her trance. She looked away quickly. A moment later she could hear him swimming over to her.

"Getting in?" he asked coolly. She allowed her eyes to fall on his face, making sure she didn't look any lower.

"I'm good" she shook her head, wondering if he could hear the uneasiness in her voice. _Why am I suddenly nervous about Gordo of all people?_

She leaned back on her hands and stared up at the sky, anxious to look away from him in his bathing suit. "The stars are gorgeous out here" she commented.

"They should, we are in the middle of nowhere" he pulled himself out of the pool and sat himself down next to her. She could hear the water dripping off of his body and hair. There was a pause. _Does he have to be so close?_

"I haven't stopped to look at the stars in so long…" she lamented, trying to fill the silence.

"Why?" he sounded puzzled. Lizzie knew growing up that star gazing was one of his favorite pastimes besides film-making. Forgetting her plan not to look at him Lizzie turned and found herself staring into his eyes.

"You know… busy recording and performing and dance practice and promo-shots…" she trailed off, still unable to look away. He was silent for a moment. His hair was beginning to curl into little tendrils around his face. She tried not to notice the fact that the water from his hair was dripping onto his chest.

"I guess if that is where your passions lie" he quietly stated, obviously deciding not to go into what he attacked her for that morning. She shifted her eyes to the pool now.

"So do you remember where Orion is?" he questioned, trying to break the awkward silence that constantly seemed to envelope them.

"Wow, it's been so long…" Lizzie looked back up into the sky.

"Four years" he interjected. She stopped to look at him… not sure of what to say next.

"Yeah…" there was a beat and now they both looked away from each other, him to the pool and her back up into the sky again. Lizzie felt a heat spread through her cheeks. "Let me see if I remember… the three bright ones there in the middle there are his belt… yes, it's right there" she pointed over his shoulder to the direction. She was careful not to touch him but couldn't stop herself from reaching across him as she pointed.

"It took me like 3 years to teach you that one" he remarked, laughing. She leaned back.

"More like 3 months you over-exaggerator" she exclaimed, punching him the shoulder. He winced, rubbing the spot where she hit him.

"You always could throw a punch" his lower lip pouted out.

"Grow up with my brother and you learn the best ways to inflict pain, plus it also helps that you're such a big wimp" she smiled and tried not to focus on his lip, which was still pouted out. _Get a grip Lizzie!_

He peered over at her and looked as if he was forming an idea in his mind, "A wimp huh? …Oh wow" he glanced at his watch, "You'll never guess what time it is!" He exclaimed.

She peered down at his watch, "What?"

"It's time for Lizzie to take a swim in the pool!" he exclaimed evilly, lunging towards her.

Lizzie screamed and pulled back quickly, right out of his grasp. She jumped from her spot and began running the other way around the pool. "Don't even think about it!" she exclaimed, bare feet pounding against the pavement. She laughed loudly as she turned her head, thinking she had escaped danger. She, however, underestimated his knowledge of her movements because he was a step behind her. In one moment he had wrapped his arms around her whole body and they both fell into the pool together. Lizzie felt his warm arms envelop her for a second before the cold water splashed around them.

They both came up quickly and Lizzie acted on her first instinct, to inflict as much pain possible on her perpetrator. Lunging at him with a shriek she dunked him under the water, kicking and punching the whole way. "I can't believe you did that!" she half laughed, half growled. His eyes were shining with laughter as he darted across the water towards the deeper end of the pool. She followed, struggling to swim while wearing actual clothes, but caught him in the corner of the deep end.

"You're cornered now Mr. Gordon" she said with half a laugh, treading the water to keep afloat. She darted towards him and saw his eyes calculating her movements. She kept moving towards him though, causing him to panic and try to escape to her right. One step ahead, she met him along the wall and pushed his shoulders against it with both arms. "I don't think so" she smiled as her hands tingled at the contact of his bare skin.

"You're forgetting one thing Ms. Maguire" he said coyly, not looking the least bit worried.

"Yeah, what's that?" she stilled had him pinned, a feat while being forced to tread water.

"I remember how ticklish you are" his free arms started towards her midsection. Her eyes widened in horror as she realized the gravity of the situation.

His arms worked quickly across her stomach, and she was doubled over in the water before she had a chance to stop him. He held one arm around her back to keep her still and close to him while using the other hand to attack her stomach with. She was laughing loudly, playfully attempting to kick him away until he grabbed her feet and began tickling them as well. This movement caused her to take a mouthful of water. Immediately she began to cough and he stopped for a moment. She grinned and took that opportunity to take hold of his arms and push him back against the pool wall.

"Mercy is a sign of weakness Mr. Gordon" she eyed him evilly. She felt her stomach perform a few flips at the feeling of his biceps under her touch.

He smiled widely at her and in one swift movement he pushed against her stronghold and wrapped his arms around her body while he swung them both around the other way. Before she knew it she was turned around so he was the one pushing her up against the pool wall. "It's a good thing I have enough strength to make up for it" he whispered back into her face, equally as evil.

There was a pause and Lizzie was suddenly acutely aware at that moment just how warm the pool was. She was pressed up with her back against the wall with his own body pressed onto hers from on the other side. She suddenly wished she weren't wearing such a heavy shirt overtop of her bathing suit. He shifted his hands, which were lying on her shoulders, slowly down her arms and Lizzie forgot to breathe for a moment. They landed on the sides of her stomach and Lizzie felt a warm tingle spread throughout her body. She fought the urge to move her own hands, which were still clutching tightly to his shoulders, to his chest.

She could feel yet another drop in her stomach when she noticed how close his face was. His intense blue eyes were focused intently on her face leaving Lizzie breathless. Her face instantly flushed as she realized she could feel the warmth of his breath against her lips, sending, if it was possible, more tingles throughout her body. Hearts pounding wildly, both teens stared into each other eyes, unsure of what to say or even do next.

"We should go to bed" she whispered after few moments.

"Yeah" he whispered this, staring at her, but seemed to break out of the trance quickly and looked away. He pulled himself away from her and Lizzie felt the cold water flood her body at their loss of contact. She turned around, pulled herself out of the pool and grabbed her towel, wanting to leave as quickly as possible.

"Lizzie—wait" His voice stopped her at the gate. His voice sounded rough. She turned around slowly.

"What?" He had pulled himself out of the pool and was standing a few feet away from her.

He hesitated, pulling his hand through his dark wet hair. "Nothing…"


	6. Chapter 6 How it Happened

**Juan Pablo**- Thanks for your praise again- however- the LG thing was there in the previous chapters, just bubbling underneath the surface and in the last chapter it just exploded :o)

**Siv**- I hope you made it to your bus in time and weren't late for work! However, I am late for work all the time, so no worries :o) Thanks for your comments and I'm glad you did well on your chem. Final!

**Dario**- It's totally fine you haven't reviewed until now- I've been guilty of the same thing before myself. It's just nice to hear from the people who might not review as often because I know you all are out there :o) Hope to keep hearing your comments!

**KittyDoggyLover**- When Gordo pulled Lizzie in the pool- that was my favorite moment as well! You'd think it would be when they were IN the pool- but I just loved that picture of them falling sideways into the pool together.

**Andy**- I know what you mean, sometimes I just want to smack Gordo myself!

**Emerald Flame**- Thanks so much for your praise:o)

**Roxy Anne**- I'm glad you are realizing just how much baggage is coming along with Gordo, last time I wrote this story everyone seemed to think it was all Lizzie's fault! Know that Lizzie has some big bags of her own though:o)

**A note for everyone!** I promise you all, this will be the last emo/angsty chapter for a while- for the next few chapters after this it will be much smoother sailing!

* * *

**Chapter 6- How It Happened**

She remembered that day like it was yesterday, has poured over every word was said, every tone that was used, and every detail that could possibly be remembered. The day that it happened… the last day that her and Gordo were friends.

* * *

_It happened outside… but it really began much earlier than this specific day. In reality you could say that it had been happening ever since that previous summer… the summer that Miranda left. The summer that I kissed him on that rooftop in Italy… the summer that everything changed._

_He was distant ever since we got back from Italy… every time I tried to move forward in our relationship, he pushed me even farther away. Sometimes I was so positive that he felt the same way… I could see it in his eyes… when he looked at me. That's part of the reason I loved to be around him… just one look at me and his whole face would change. I knew I was special when Gordo looked at me. And that's all that mattered. Lately though, as soon as that look was there it was replaced by an emotion I couldn't read, an emotion that after 14 years of friendship I couldn't understand… It was as if he… he didn't want me anymore._

_So when Jay approached me during the end of my freshman year… I was ready to do what he asked me. Part of me wondered if it was the right thing. I had fun in Italy but me being on stage wasn't about the fact that I loved to sing so much as it was a chance for me to show people who I really was… for me to break out of my shell. And I did that… but singing as my life ambition? I wasn't sure what I pictured for my life (I almost liked not knowing) but I knew that I wanted Gordo to be apart of it, no matter if he was my boyfriend or not._

_But apparently that wasn't in the cards anymore. So I found myself begging my father to let me take this chance. Or in Jay's words, "A chance of a lifetime." I thought that this might make Gordo stop pushing me away, a chance for him to be proud of me._

_But he wasn't. "Lizzie, are you sure about this?" he questioned me as soon as I told him my parents accepted Jay's offer and signed the contract. Not the response I had been looking for._

"_Aren't… Aren't you happy for me?" I asked, trying not to sound too crushed._

"_I guess... just as long as you're sure that's what you want" was all he said._

"_Of course I'm sure Gordo, jeez…" I looked away, hoping I wouldn't start crying._

_And that's how it was. I would try and let him know when I was doing exciting things, like meeting the record executives and how my singing classes were going… but he didn't seem to care. In fact, the more I told him about my singing aspirations, the more he pushed me away. Granted, we still talked and hung out, but there was still that tension that I just couldn't figure out._

_So I retaliated. I pushed myself into my singing even more and if he ever asked if I wanted to hang out after school I always told him I just didn't have the time. I even pushed Miranda away. I told her and Gordo I had rehearsals on Wednesday's and just couldn't make it to our weekly phone conversations anymore. I found new friends at school, friends I knew Gordo wouldn't like. Whenever I hung around him, which wasn't very often, I would make sure he knew that I didn't need him anymore. After all… he didn't want me anymore right? Why should he care? _

_So here we are, in the middle of my freshman year of high school. I was feeling particularly hurtful one day and actually told him I'd meet him at the digital bean after school. Only I never showed up._

_I remember that singing practice was particularly brutal that day. Jay was trying to stretch my range and for some reason I just couldn't hit a high C if my life depended on it. Those first few weeks of singing practice were pretty grueling (not saying that my rehearsals after that were a piece of cake either). My mother drove me home from practice around 6 and as we pulled up my street I saw him… sitting on my curb waiting for me._

_My mother caught eyes with me and seemed to understand that something had happened. "Dinner's at 7" she said simply, understanding we were going to need to talk. So we both got out of her car, her going inside and me walking down to the end of my drive way. We didn't say anything for a moment. He continued to stare out in the street and I just stared at him. _

"_So you knew you had rehearsal today?" he asked, still not looking at me._

"_Listen Gordo… I don't have time for this!" I suddenly exploded, mostly in defense because I knew what I had done was wrong and unlike me. He looked at me with wide eyes, just as shocked as I was by my outburst._

"_Don't have time right now or don't have time to be my friend?" he looked away again, "Because lately I haven't been able to tell the difference Lizzie!"_

"_Listen you need to understand that I'm busy and that I have a lot of things to do with singing!" I shot back. He stood up in front of me._

"_That's another thing Lizzie, I know you! I know this isn't what you want! It would be completely different if you actually loved what you did but you don't!" He had squeezed both of his fists together in frustration._

"_How do you know that!" I was right out yelling now. His face suddenly softened._

"_Because I know you Lizzie… this is what Jay wants, not you…" I blinked, "You aren't as passionate about it as you pretend to be. Ever since you started doing this… you lost a part of yourself…" He looked at me deeply._

_And that's when I said it. The statement that would forever change things. "You're just jealous because I would rather be there singing than with you." I spat out. _

_Whoever said that words could never hurt you lied._

* * *

Lizzie woke up with a gasp. The room was half filled with light and the sun was coming up. Rolling over, she checked the time and found out that it was only 5:45. Knowing that she would never be able to fall back asleep she pulled herself out of bed and glanced over at Gordo. She smiled when she saw that he was sprawled across the entire queen bed, his feet hanging off the end and his head almost off the side. She stared at him for a moment, feeling a mix of emotion. Her mind was still running from her dream but at the same time her face was slightly warm as she remembered the night before.

After the incident in the pool (an incident that Lizzie still couldn't decide on as to what actually happened in the first place) she quickly went to bed, crawling under the covers and had already turned out the lights by the time Gordo showed up. She hoped that he took that as a sign that she didn't want to talk about what happened (_if__something did happen…_).

Quietly, she grabbed her cell phone off the table and walked out onto the porch that was overlooking the courtyard. Sitting down on the plastic furniture on the balcony overlooking the pool, she glanced out at the sun that was rising in the distance over the mountains. She took a deep breath of the cool morning air and gave a small smile. She turned her phone on and dialed in her mother's cell number so she didn't wake up the rest of her family. Her mother always liked getting up well before the family did to take some "mental health time" or so she called it. It only rang once before she picked it up.

"Lizzie" she breathed into the phone, obviously relieved.

"Hey Mom." Lizzie was almost as relieved to hear her mother's voice. _How is it that I miss her after only a day?_

"Oh Honey… what's wrong?" Her mother had this amazing instinct to tell that something was wrong after just hearing the tone of your voice.

"It's just so hard to be here Mom…."

"I know sweetie…" and her mom was the closest one to really understanding… but at the same time… she had no idea.

Lizzie was quiet for a moment, "I'm sorry for not telling Jay that I came."

"Lizzie… I understand." Her mother said simply.

"You do?" she was surprised.

"Yes…I do…" her mother let out a long breath, "Lizzie I need to tell you something important…"

"Yeah?" Lizzie could tell that this was something her mother had been thinking about for a while.

"You know that your father and I will be proud of you no matter what… no matter if you are a singer or if you end up going to college or if you are flipping burgers at Al's Diner… as long as you are following _your_ dreams and nobody else's…" Lizzie was quiet, taking in what her mother was telling her, "Your father and I love you very… very much and no matter what, even if you don't continue singing, will that ever change." Her voice began to get a little choked up.

Lizzie was finding it very hard to swallow all of a sudden.

"Thanks Mom" she finally choked out, "I love you too."

They were both quiet for a moment, knowing that they both needed the silence to digest everything. The cool morning wind was blowing softly through the courtyard, leaving gentle ripples across the pool. Her mother finally asked, "Where are you guys?"

"Just outside of Phoenix… We should have another full day of driving before we get to Miranda's." _A day that hopefully shouldn't be as awful as yesterday_… she thought.

"How are things with Gordo?" her mother asked.

Lizzie looked away from the pool, images flooding into her mind from the night before. "Confusing" she answered truthfully.

"Lizzie… You've known Gordo for your entire life- 18 years… and only 3 of those years you have not been friends." Her mother explained this carefully, pausing for a moment before adding, "I know that you both still care for each other… no matter how much you deny it."

"Mom… I don't… I… I mean…" she stuttered, Lizzie blinked and images from her childhood unexpectedly began popping up into her mind.

_She was a princess trapped in a tower looking out the window. But she was scared, danger was lurking below her. She could hear the dragon underneath her perch, which was high up in the tree. All of a sudden, Gordo, dressed in shining metal armor, popped out from behind a bush with his sword drawn. He began battling the huge fire breathing dragon that was guarding her tower. Scared for him, she called his name out. He glanced up and gave her a look of reassurance before driving his sword through the dragon's heart._

_Now she was waiting… waiting for his bus to show up. She couldn't concentrate all day. All she could think about was Gordo and how his first day at High School was. She would walk to her locker, expecting him to be there like he always was… but he never showed up. It was like a piece of her was missing. Now he was standing in front of her, confused as to why she was there, waiting for him. Why was he confused? Didn't he understand how much she missed him?_

_She was crying. Ripping up this notebook was all she could focus on, letting the 'I heart Ronnie' notes she had written be torn to pieces just as her heart felt at that exact moment. But unexpectedly he was there and she was smiling as he told her she was pretty and that Ronnie was an idiot… Ronnie who?_

_Suddenly she was on a plane home from Rome, watching Gordo fall asleep on her shoulder. She could feel his breathing and did not resist the urge to wipe some of the brown curls away from his tranquil face. He unconsciously leaned into her touch and she leaned her own head against his own. She knew that it couldn't get any better than at exactly that moment._

"I do care for him…" Lizzie finally let escape from her mouth, surprised to see the porch of their hotel room in her vision once again.

"Then that's all you need Lizzie…" her mother said.

"But what if it's too late?" Lizzie bit her lip, the guilt of the past 3 years overwhelming her.

"What if it's not?"

A lone tear escaped from the corner of her right eye.

"You just need to let go Lizzie, just let go of everything that is holding you back" her mother whispered gently.

After a moment of silence however, Lizzie wiped the tear away and quickly said, "I don't know… I'll think about it…"

Knowing her daughter's defense mechanisms well Mrs. McGuire knew it was time to drop the subject. "Well, you both probably should get on the road if you want to make it to Miranda's before it gets too late… Please call me when you get there."

"I will Mom… I love you…"

"I love you too sweetie." Lizzie clicked the phone shut and continued to stare out at the orange sun that was now halfway into the sky.

After a moment she stepped into the room and saw that it was a little after 6. She took advantage of the empty bathroom and took her time showering and preparing for the day. It wasn't until around 7:15 that she decided she better wake up Gordo.

Unable to get the images from the night before out of her mind, she cautiously inched her way over to his bed, her heart beating wildly in her chest. _Why I am so nervous? _she thought, staring at his sleeping form on the bed. She stopped, took a deep breath and realized how ridiculous she was being. _It's just Gordo for goodness sakes!_

With that she boldly took a large step in front of her towards his bed, but did not account for the bottom sheets that were strewn between the beds, leaving a virtual trap for her to trip across. Her heart jolted into her throat as she realized she was flying forward, not towards the floor, but instead towards Gordo's bed. And not just Gordo's bed, but Gordo himself.

She landed face down so that her chest was square up against his, her head landing just to the left of his own. He exclaimed an unrecognizable grunt due to being woken up so suddenly while she shrieked, surprised at her unexpected fall. His hands unconsciously grabbed her hips and he opened his eyes, surprised to see Lizzie's horrorstruck face inches from his own.

"I'm so sorry" she gasped, "I tripped over the sheets… and… and I…" her face was becoming more red by the second. She tried not to focus on the feeling of his body beneath her own.

He blinked, still trying to wake up, and finally said, "Well I knew you were still kind of mad about me tickling you last night in the pool and all but… trying to beat me to death while I'm asleep is a new low, even for you McGuire." He smiled, his sleepy eyes crinkling at the sides.

She narrowed her eyes at him, and, realizing just how close they were, rolled over to the left and ended up falling 3 feet off the bed on her back on the floor. "Ooof!" she exclaimed as her breath was knocked out of her on impact.

She laid there for a moment, her face burning as she realized what she had just done. He poked his head over the side of the bed, his eyes dancing. His curly hair was flying in every direction.

She gave him a look of death, "Don't… say… anything…."

He busted out into laughter and walked into the bathroom. She crossed her arms and, face still burning, rolled her eyes… but gave a small smile when he finally closed the door.


	7. Chapter 7 Don't Give Up

**Juan Pablo**- Thanks for your continued praise about my story! I'm actually so surprised I've gotten such a huge response so far! Hope you like this chapter just as much (even though there aren't any bubble explosions just yet).

**Andy**- Thank you so much for your comments about my story- I read and re-read the story several times, so it means a lot that you notice the writing in particular. As far as this site, I usually don't read most stories on it (I read a lot of HP stories on other sites). However, I haven't been able to find any sites online that have any Lizzie McGuire stories, so this is what I use to post. Please let me know if you know of any! By the way, you wouldn't happen to be from the UK would you? I just noticed with how you wrote your comment there :o)

**Fanfiction06**- I know what you mean about getting hooked on a story! I try not to read works in progress sometimes (your story is an exception) because I get so into the characters that it is hard for me not to have the story be finished! Not to worry in this case though (the ending is already written!).

**JenJen5885**- Thanks for your praise! I really appreciate getting any kind of feedback, good or bad, so keep letting me know what you think!

**Mitchel-musso-lver**- I'm so glad you think the story is sweet- because that is what I think Lizzie and Gordo's relationship is all about, baggage or not!

**Siv**- I'm so glad you didn't miss your bus! Thanks for all the continued reviews and praise on the story!

**Dario**- thanks, I love the ending to that chapter too! I love when Lizzie is so klutzy in the show and I wanted to make sure to put that in the story as well.

**Neithan**- Oh wow! Thanks for all your praise about my picture of Lizzie! I really try hard to make sure everything she does and that Gordo does is for a reason- it bothers me when, like you said, Lizzie goes the cheerleading route when in the show I could never see her doing something like that for no reason. So, thanks for your comments!

**KittyDoggyLover**- I'm glad that last chapter cleared things up, I was hoping it would fill in all of the gaps about their past so we can look to the future now ;o)

**Lauren Mcg**- I'm glad you feel that way about their tension- ever since I saw that episode with Lizzie and Gordo standing on the front porch together after the murder mystery party I knew that it was one of their strengths!

**RoxyAnne**- Thanks so much! The last version of this story had way fewer flashbacks and I really like all of the additions and am glad you do too!

**Jake**- Thanks for your comments- I love to re-read stories and I re-read this one a lot, it's good the see the whole picture rather than chapter by chapter.

**Sydmoonlight**- I'm so sorry I didn't respond to your review in my last chapter! I think that you must have reviewed it just as I was posting my next chapter, so I must have just missed you. Either way, thanks so much for your comments and I hope you liked finding out what happened (even it wasn't a happy thing) between Lizzie and Gordo a month after that phone call.

* * *

**Note to everyone**: I must admit- I stole the idea for the end of this chapter from the movie, 'Chasing Liberty' starring Mandy Moore. Either way, enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 7- Don't Give Up**

"I always hate leaving hotel rooms…" Lizzie said, crouching on her hands and knees to look under the bed, "It feels like you always leave something behind…" She saw something and grabbed at it, only to pull out 3 random socks. "Uh, Gordo, are these yours?" she said, eyeing them suspiciously. It seemed like they were a mix of white and dark green in color.

Gordo looked up from packing his bag and said, "No…and I wouldn't touch those, they look kind of moldy to me." Lizzie dropped them like they were burning a hole through her hand.

"Oh gross!" she cried, running into the bathroom to go disinfect her hand.

He smiled and finished packing up, grabbing both her and his own bag to take out the door. "Lizzie, it's just fungus, calm down" he called through the door. The sound of running water intensified. Gordo laughed and grabbed her bag to carry on his way out of the door.

* * *

"Okay, first you are going to want to practice, without the car on, how to switch back and forth between the clutch and gas" Gordo explained, pointing down at her feet to where the clutch and gas were located. They were sitting in Gordo's car in an empty parking lot in the back of their motel.

"I put one foot on each?" Lizzie asked.

"Yes" he nodded, "Now what's going to happen is you are going to be holding down the clutch when you are not in gear, but to switch into a gear you need to let up slowly on the clutch as you press down slowly on the gas. It's kind of a delicate balance." Gordo said, as Lizzie tried it a few times. "Now, to give you a precursor- I didn't get this the first time, so don't worry if you don't get it" he explained.

"Wow," Lizzie smiled, "If Gordo didn't get it the first time then it must be hard." Lizzie teased him. _Did I just flirt with Gordo?_ Her eyes widened in shock at her statement and she clamped her mouth shut.

He just smiled and said, "Now I am going to teach you how to turn on the car."

"Already?" Lizzie said quickly, panicked.

He smiled at her reaction but continued on, "Now, you make sure the parking brake is up, which it already is. Now you push down on the clutch and turn the key." She did this, his truck revving up. "Now don't let go of the clutch yet, and move the gearshift into the neutral position in the middle."

"Okay" Lizzie said, doing what he said. "This is so easy."

He laughed, "That was the easy part. You could let go of the clutch now if you wanted, but we are going to go straight into getting into first gear. This part is the hardest." Lizzie's face fell. "Okay, keeping the clutch pedal down, put the car into first gear by moving the gearshift to the top-left position." He indicated it with his hands and she fiddled with the gearshift for a second, unable to get it into place this time. He placed his warm hand overtop of her own, guiding it into its spot.

"It's a little tricky at first." He smiled as he explained it to her, as butterflies were erupting in her stomach. She suddenly realized how small his truck was as she tried to keep her mind on the task at hand. "Now, hold down the foot brake with your right foot to release the parking brake." Lizzie did this, biting her lip in concentration. "You are going to do what you did before and let go of the clutch slowly as you push down of the gas pedal. Remember it's a delicate balance and you might stall the first time, so don't be worried."

She let go of the brake first before letting go of the clutch and made some noise as the car rolled forward a few inches without anything to keep stop it, "It's okay, keep going, we've got room" he reassured her. She made a little squeal in nervousness as she quickly put her right foot down on the gas and let go of the clutch at the same time. The car made a gasping sound before falling dead.

Gordo said quickly, "Put your foot on the brake" which she did, "and pull up the emergency brake."

She looked around wildly, "Where is it?"

"Right here" he said, leaning across her in the drivers seat to pull out the emergency brake located next to her left leg. His arm brushed across her knee as he pulled it out. In response, Lizzie leaned back quickly in her seat as she felt jolts of electricity coming up her leg. Feeling as if the cab of his truck had shrunk in size by at least a half she took a deep breath in and suddenly felt another jolt in her stomach when she realized how good he smelled.

Her mind was suddenly transported back to growing up, to those times they would star watch and she would purposely sit as close as she could (without being _too_ close) so she could breathe him in. How she would always hold on for that extra second while they hugged. Gordo always had a specific smell about him. She wasn't sure if it was his soap or his detergent or just him in general but she always felt intoxicated by it. When he was close enough, it was all she could think about. It was a mix of fresh, almost woodsy, mixed with a sort of spice she could never describe if her life depended on it.

He leaned back to his own seat and Lizzie's heart dropped. "Sorry" she said, letting out a long breath.

"It's okay," he said, "Everyone messes up at first. It's all apart of the 'learning how to drive manual' process. This time you are going to want to release the clutch pedal slowly; when you hear or feel the engine begin to slow down, slowly press down on the gas pedal as you continue to release the clutch."

She tried a second and third time, and again and again the car stalled. "I don't know if I can do this Gordo." She was frustrated now and stared down at the steering wheel, her long blonde hair falling into her face.

"Lizzie" he placed his hand on her own, "Don't give up, I know you can do this." She looked down at his hand first before looking over at him as he smiled reassuringly.

"Okay" Lizzie said, her eyes narrowing in determination. She started the car again and shifted into first gear. She took a deep breath and pressed lightly on the gas pedal, letting up slowly off of the clutch. The car moved forward a bit and Lizzie's eyes widened and she cried out in surprise as she realized she had finally gotten it. "What do I do now?" she cried out in a high voice, as Gordo laughed at her reaction.

Gordo showed her how to stop, which was considerably easier than getting into 1st gear. "I did it!" Lizzie cried, throwing her arms around Gordo in the passenger seat. He laughed and they both sat there for a second, hugging each other. Lizzie took a deep breath, letting her nostrils fill with his scent.

"I knew you could" Gordo pulled back and smiled at her. Lizzie, caught up in the moment sat there for a second before realizing that they were entirely too close and pulled back hastily. "Want to try getting to 2nd gear?" he asked.

Lizzie and Gordo spent the next half an hour practicing it over and over again, and after a few stalls but several successful attempts, Lizzie felt pretty confident in her skills. "Thanks" Lizzie said, pulling the emergency brake and sitting back in her seat.

"Hey you did all the work here." He gave her a small grin.

"No I mean…" she was kind of embarrassed and looked away, "Thanks for teaching me."

He didn't say anything for a second and seemed to hesitate, "Hey no biggie, plus now we don't have to take as many breaks on the road now." There was a long silence as Lizzie couldn't think of anything to say. He broke the silence for them, "Now, the only way to practice from here on out is to actually get out there on the road." Gordo said, "However, we are still on the outskirts of Phoenix so do you want to wait until we get to the more rural areas to practice?"

"Definitely" Lizzie said immediately. "How long of a drive till we get to Miranda's?" she asked after they switched seats and got onto the highway.

"I'm not exactly sure but we are pretty ahead of schedule, and if you help out with the driving we could make it by dinner tonight."

"Oh wow, that soon?" she asked, surprised.

"She doesn't live that far past the border" Gordo said, "I guess it wouldn't have been that far for either of us to visit her."

Lizzie didn't know how to respond to this and looked away, slightly embarrassed. Was he trying to blame her for that fact or was he blaming himself as well? It did bring up another question that had been lurking in her mind, _What am I going to say to Miranda?_

She knew that it hadn't been completely her fault that their friendship had fallen by the wayside, but she couldn't help but feel like the blame truly did lay with her. She glanced over at Gordo who was staring at the road, yet she could tell he had things on his mind as well. _Is he thinking about me? What actually happened last night? _She felt her cheeks redden. _Did he want something to happen? Did… I want something to happen?_

She remembered her mother's words that morning. She was right, she did miss Gordo's friendship, but something… something was holding her back.

The road, which was becoming more congested as they drove on, suddenly was filled with the red brake lights of cars that seemed to go on for miles. "Shoot" Gordo sighed as he slowed his truck down, "Traffic…" he muttered. There was a silence as they both stared out, trying to gauge how long of a wait it would be. At the moment they were at a standstill. Gordo looked thoughtful for a moment and suddenly said, "I think I could figure out a short cut around this traffic if I can take a look at the map." Lizzie shrugged and he pulled the car into park.

He pulled a map out of the side pocket of his door and looked at it for a few minutes. "I think I got it" he said, glancing over at an exit that was about 100 yards away. He pulled the car right and, after driving on the shoulder for a moment, made it to the exit that curved around and onto a deserted road.

"Are you sure about this Gordo?" Lizzie questioned, "We don't have time to get lost if we want to make it to Miranda's tonight."

"Positive." He said surely.

* * *

"Gordo, we need to stop and ask for directions." Lizzie said fervently for the 5th time.

"I'm positive I have it this time" he said, making his 3rd u-turn.

Lizzie rolled her eyes and leaned her head back in the seat. "That's what you said the last two times Gordo, be a little more creative," she said, thoroughly annoyed with him.

They drove over a huge bridge that crossed over a large canyon. There were some people standing in the middle of the bridge on the side of the road and Lizzie suddenly sat up, "Slow down, we can ask these guys here."

Gordo drew out a long breath and muttered something Lizzie couldn't quite hear under his breath. She narrowed her eyes in his direction but then turned her attention out the window as Gordo slowed down.

There was a small crowd of people all gathered around the side of the bridge with a bunch of equipment and ropes. They seemed to be in the middle of setting something up while one guy was being strapped into some harnesses around his ankles.

"Uh, excuse me?" Lizzie called out timidly.

A man with a pony tail that landed halfway down his back turned around and smiled at them. "What can I do ya for?" he said, his southern accent apparent. His shirt, which was tie-dyed several different shades of blue, seemed to have several holes as well.

"Um, we are a little lost, we are looking for I-10?" she said as he walked up to their window.

"Uh, yeah, sure thing, Do ya'll have a map? Cause it'd be easier for me to show you" he explained, he leaned in close to her through the window, causing Lizzie to lean back a bit in response.

Before she could answer however, another man with an even longer ponytail called out, "Hey Mark, We need you over here to finish the set-up!"

Mark pulled away from Lizzie somewhat regretfully and said, "Hey, I gotta finish this real quick but I can help ya'll out in a few minutes after the jump."

"What jump?" Gordo questioned from beside her.

"Bungee jump" his eyes dancing excitedly, "Wanna watch?"

"Of course!" Gordo said, before Lizzie had a chance to tell him they didn't have time.

Lizzie whipped her head over to Gordo to give him a look of death but he didn't seem to even notice her, making her even more annoyed. "We'll just go park up there and be right back" he called out as Mark went back to rejoin the group.

"Gordo!" Lizzie snapped as soon as they were out of earshot.

"Lizzie!" he said right back, mocking her.

"Gordo, we don't have time for this if we want to make it to Miranda's tonight" she said.

"We have plenty of time" he said, pulling the car into park, "plus, you need to loosen up and have some fun McGuire." With that he hopped out of the car and closed the door.

Lizzie, shocked, quickly unbuckled her seatbelt and ran after him down the bridge, "I do _too_ know how to have fun!"

"Sure" he said, walking briskly down to the group in the middle. Lizzie wanted to smack him.

"I'm just worried about these guys, especially that guy Mark. Who knows if they are murderers or something waiting for innocent kids to show up?" she explained, short of breath from the speed at which Gordo was walking. _Since when does he have such long strides?_

"Well I'm sure that if they are murderers they will go after you first, and that will give me ample time to run back to my truck" he smiled and Lizzie huffed, still breathing hard.

They reached the middle of the bridge just as a guy hooked into a few different harnesses with a big cord attached to his ankles stood up on a makeshift platform. They walked over to the side of the bridge where Mark was standing, looking excited.

"When you fall, you go from 0 to 60 mph in 2.5 seconds" he looked over at them, causing Gordo to nod in appreciation and Lizzie to drop her jaw. As they stood there waiting for the finishing checks to be done he asked them, "So are ya'll from around here?" He walked and stood next to Lizzie on the bridge, winking at her.

"Nope, we are from Southern California, passing through on a road trip." Gordo explained. Lizzie tried to take a step away from Mark without looking too obvious.

"A road trip huh?" Mark nodded, "The first road trip I ever went on was when I bungee jumped off of the Golden Gate bridge in San Francisco."

"Are you allowed to do that?" Lizzie asked, flabbergasted.

"Oh yeah…" he nodded and looked at them curiously, his eyes lingering on Lizzie for a second, "Hey, do you guys wanna take a shot at it?"

"Sure-"

"No-" Gordo and Lizzie answered at the same time.

"Gordo are you nuts? Why would you want to jump off a bridge?" Lizzie exclaimed, she turned her back on Mark to face him.

"Hey, It's an adventure!" he exclaimed, "When you do you get a chance to do something like this?"

Suddenly one of the guys on the side of the platform began yelling a countdown down from five.

"I'll give you two a sec to decide" Mark said, walking down to the edge closer to the platform. Lizzie and Gordo stared over the side, looking at the huge canyon down below. There was a meandering river cutting through the rocks.

"Three!" the man continued yelling out, "Two!" Lizzie whipped her head over to the platform where the man was standing, her heart beating hard in anticipation for what was about to happen.

"One!" There was a pause in which the entire bridge was completely silent except for the echo of his count reverberating through the canyon.

Suddenly the man leaped out of the bridge, taking a swan dive, with his arms outstretched. He let out a whoop of excitement as he did this and Lizzie was forced to look down as he plummeted towards the river down at the bottom.

She gasped outloud. _He looks so…free…_

Just when she thought he was going to hit the water the bungee cord caught and he was pulled back up towards the bridge. She was worried he might hit the bridge but before she could say anything the man lost speed and seemed to float midair for a moment before falling back down towards the ground.

This continued for a few more times before he stopped enough for them to send down a rope which he grabbed and hooked his feet onto. As they lifted him up Lizzie and Gordo just stood there, their mouths open. Mark walked casually up to them, his mouth curved into a smile.

"So are ya'll up for it or what?" He said, leaning up against a post.

Still mesmerized by what just happened, Lizzie said in a half whisper, "I'll do it"


	8. Chapter 8 Leap of Faith

**Andy- **I had a feeling you were from England from your speech patterns. I can usually always tell when someone writes fan fiction and is English and trying to write American or is American and trying to write English (if you get what I mean). I lived in Edinburgh for a while so it makes it easier. I am glad you liked the fluff of the last chapter and hope you like the fluff here as well!

**Dario-** I used to hate heights too- but then I worked on a ropes course at a camp and stopped hating them as much (mostly because I spent the summer being strapped to a 60 foot tall tree). Thanks for your praise!

**Fanfiction06- **I'm glad you're still hooked! I always imagined that Gordo would be the one to teach her to drive- he is good at everything else (except sports I think) so I thought he'd be a good driver as well. Plus, if he was patient enough to have two girls as best friends- then he is patient enough to be able to teach :)

**Mitchel-musso-lver**- I hope that this chapter is as super adorable as you hope it is:o) I think both Lizzie and Gordo run through a ton of emotions in this chapter- so I think I did what you suggested, but even more! Thanks for the suggestions!

**Siv**- I hope you were able to clean your room successfully! I'm in the middle to packing my room up, so it's not only cleaning it but going through all the old crap and deciding what stays and goes and being all organized about it at the same time. Hope you keep enjoying!

**RoxyAnne**- I love Chasing Liberty too! And I've tried to drive clutch- my ex-boyfriend actually taught me (the last scene was based off of what I wished would have happened when he tried to teach me) but it didn't really stick as well without Gordo as my teacher:o)

**KittyDoggyLover**- I would love to have adventure like that, so I thought it was exciting too! Just wait until this chapter when they actually go through with it! Thanks for all your praise about my story and the last chapter- hope you continue to enjoy it!

**Unconventional-** I've been trying to work on how I write Lizzie and Gordo recently, making sure I get how their relationship was in the show versus how it might be now – so thanks for the praise! Also, it does make it interesting when we add Miranda in- because we never saw her interact with Lizzie and Gordo when they started get more romantically interested in each other during the show (she was already off the show at that point), so that makes things interesting for me as a writer!

**JuanPablo**- Thanks for the review! But as far as Gordo being more inclined for adventure than you thought he'd be, remember he is much older now, and also, just wait till you see more of his reaction in this chapter!

**Ali Oldman**- Thanks! I am totally in love with Gordo, in case nobody noticed, so he would seem pretty cool, but not too cool, because he is a dork underneath it all (which is why we love him in the first place).

* * *

**Note to everyone**: Sorry about the delay in updating, I'm home for winter break so it makes it more difficult to have access to a computer (plus my friends from home keep taking me out all the time). However, I did find an old Lizzie McGuire tape I made back in the day, full of all of the best episodes from this Valentines Day marathon they had a few years back- it had the Dear Lizzie episode, the murder mystery party, bye bye Hillridge Jr. High, all the best ones where Gordo says he likes Lizzie, Lizzie finds out, Lizzie realizes she likes Gordo… It made me so nostalgic, I just had to update ASAP. So, without further ado…

* * *

**Chapter 8- Leap of Faith

* * *

**

"So are you guys up for it or what?" Mark said, leaning up against a post.

Still mesmerized by what just happened, Lizzie said in a half whisper, "I'll do it"

Gordo whipped his head over to face her and said quickly, "What!" his voice cracking loudly. He cleared his throat, the tips of his ears turning slightly pink and said nervously, "I thought you were too scared."

"Well, now I decided I'm going to do it." She crossed her arms in a challenging sort of way.

"Good," he said, his voice wavering slightly, "Because so am I." He crossed his own arms and puffed up his chest a bit. Lizzie held down a smile at his 'I'm trying to be macho' look.

"You don't have to do it just because I am Gordo" Lizzie countered back. She shrugged her shoulders, "I mean, if you're too scared-"

He interrupted her, "Yeah, right" his voice still high.

Mark interrupted both of them, "Well I'm going to need you two to sign some forms and suit up while I get the bungee ready."

It was one of those moments where time seemed to slow down and speed up all at once. She felt as if she was going in slow motion while she was numbly signing the forms (none of which she really read) and being strapped up by a these two women with a tattoo's all over their arms. _Did I really just agree to what I think I just agreed to?_

She looked over at Gordo across the way and saw that his eyes were wide as he looked over the bridge and out into the large canyon down below. His head turned around to find her, almost as if he could feel her eyes on him. His eyes found hers and they stared at each other for a moment, both understanding the fear the other was feeling. His mouth curved upwards into a slight smile and Lizzie felt a small jump in her stomach.

"Okay, you two, come on over and we'll hook you in" Mark's voice called.

"Wait, what do you mean?" Lizzie waddled over to Mark, having difficulty with her ankles tied up, "Who's going first?"

He tilted his head, "Both you of you are going, I just assumed you'd want to go together."

"Uh, I mean… I…" Lizzie found herself stuttering.

"Well, we could do two singles but I'm not sure we'll have enough time for it today, plus we have the doubles bungee cord already hooked up." He explained.

Lizzie glanced over at Gordo who was eyeing her curiously, as if he were asking her approval on the matter. She stared at him for a moment, unable to look away from his penetrating gaze. "We'll do it" she whispered.

Before she could gauge his reaction, hands from all different directions began strapping her harnesses into the bungee cord. She felt herself being pushed forward and suddenly she was standing face to face with him. She looked up, seeing that he was almost a half a foot taller than she was. He was already looking down at her, his brown curls sweeping into his face.

Her heart began to beat loudly in her chest. The pair just stood there, hands shoved in their pockets, about a half an inch away from each other, looking into each others eyes while the workers finished hooking them up. Lizzie bit her lip and pushed her hair away from her slightly sweaty face, almost positive he could hear how loudly her heart was beating.

"Okay, now I'm going to need you two to climb up together onto the platform." Mark pointed to a flat board on the railing of the bridge.

They scooted their way over to the side and Gordo pulled himself up first. He grabbed her waist and easily lifted her up. She felt tingles shoot through her body at his touch. Once she was on the platform he held out his hand for her to grab a hold of and he helped her stand up, her legs shaking.

Until this point she was sort of numb to exactly what she was about to do. However, when she looked down to the left of her and saw the huge expansive canyon down below her the fear in her stomach began to claw its way up her throat.

"Gordo I can't do this" she whispered, wrapping her arms around his body, desperately seeking his stability. Her legs were shaking badly and she felt like she might puke.

Shocked at her sudden change he just stood there for a moment, his arms limp at his sides. However, instinct kicked in and he wrapped his arms around her back and squeezed her softly. He looked into her eyes. "Do you trust me?"

Lizzie's eyes widened and she was suddenly transported back in time again. "_Always."_

His hands began to softly massage her back, going in slow rhythmic circles. Her breathing began to slow and suddenly the man began to count down from five.

She whispered up to him, "I'm so scared."

"Just let go Lizzie…" he whispered into her ear. Even though she was a bundle of nerves at the moment, Lizzie could still feel hot tingles at the feeling of his warm breath against her ear.

"Four!" the man yelled. Lizzie lay her head onto his shoulder.

"Three!"

Her mother's words came back to her, _"You just need to let go Lizzie, just let go of everything that is holding you back."_

"Two!"

Lizzie clung onto Gordo with all that she had. He held on equally as tight.

"One!"

Time stood still for a moment as the pair clung onto each other, took a deep breath, and, at the same time, jumped sideways off the platform. Lizzie felt like the world disappeared from around her as a huge rush of adrenaline coursed through her body. Time went in slow motion and for a moment it felt as if they were flying but gravity soon took a hold as the ground began to rush towards them.

The cord caught them at the bottom with a hard pull on their ankles and suddenly they were soaring back up towards the bridge. It was at that moment that Lizzie realized she had been screaming the entire fall. She stopped to take a breath but continued to scream as the cord went slack at the top and they began to plummet to the earth once again.

Lizzie leaned her head back and starred at the river as it rushed to meet them. Through her screaming she began to laugh as she realized just how nuts it was that she was there, strapped in a bungee with Gordo, falling hundreds of feet. She leaned her head back and let herself soak in every aspect of this moment.

_This is amazing_…

They fell up and down a few times before they came to a standstill, just hanging upside down in the air, clinging to each other.

"Lizzie, you can stop screaming now" Gordo laughed.

Lizzie stopped and took a breath, realized how hoarse her throat felt from the fall. She began giggling.

He laughed along with her, the tension from what just occurred falling away. "Gordo can you believe we just did that!" she cried out, the adrenaline still coursing through her veins.

"No" he said back, still laughing.

She let out a whoop of excitement and heard the echo of her cry reverberate throughout the canyon. A rope of overhead reached them and Gordo grabbed it, hooking it to their feet.

As they slowly began to be lifted back up to reality Lizzie squeezed Gordo even tighter than she was at that moment (if it was even possible). "Thank you so much" she whispered.

"My pleasure" he whispered back. They both smiled.

* * *

"So how was it?!" Mark exclaimed as soon as they got on their feet and were unhooked.

Lizzie, for probably the first time in her life, was at a loss for words. "It was…I…I mean…" she giggled, "Wow." She bent over and struggled to get her ankle straps untied.

"Here beautiful, let me help you get that off" Mark took a step towards Lizzie, bending down to help untie her straps.

He started to pull at the strings when suddenly Gordo showed up at her side, his own ankle straps hastily undone. "No, that's fine, I can help" he offered quickly, side stepping in front of Mark and bending down to help.

Gordo finished untying her straps while Mark took a step back and winked at her and motioned to Gordo with a nod. Her eyes widened. _What does that mean? Does he think Gordo and I are together? _

As soon as Gordo finished helping her up, he got directions to get back on their way. "Thank you again so much!" Lizzie exclaimed, jumping up to give Mark a hug goodbye.

He almost fell backwards at her sudden leap and said, "No problem, ya'll were great!" He pulled back from her for a moment and said, "Hey listen, if you're ever down near Smackover Arkansas and need a place to crash- I'd welcome you anytime missy." He winked at her.

"Come on Lizzie, we have to head out." Gordo grabbed her arm, dragging her away from Mark's arms.

"Great to meet ya'll!" Mark called after them.

"You too!" Lizzie called back. Still feeling the adrenaline from the jump she let out a whoop and turned a cartwheel in the middle of the road.

Gordo laughed as she linked her arm around his and began to skip next to him. "I haven't seen you with this much energy in forever" he commented, still grinning from ear to ear.

"I haven't felt this amazing in forever!" she exclaimed, still skipping along. "I mean, can you believe we just did that?? We just jumped off a bridge!" her voice rang out.

"First bungee jumping, next thing we know you'll be skydiving off of the top of tall buildings and getting biker tattoos" Gordo said, taking longer strides to keep up with her skipping.

"You know, that was so much fun, maybe I should look Mark up down in Smackover, maybe we could be a traveling duo together" Lizzie said this, glancing over at Gordo with a half of a grin on her face.

"Ha ha" he said, narrowing his eyes at her. "Then I could marry one of those biker chicks with the tattoos and we could all be one big happy traveling family" he countered back, pulling a hand through his curls.

They reached the car, and both stood there awkwardly for a second. "I can drive" Lizzie offered, smiling.

"No, that's okay, I mean I was the one who got us lost." Gordo countered, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

"No really, its fine, I want to give you a break." Lizzie persisted.

"No, I mean, I just got the directions and all so it's probably better this way." Gordo smiled back.

"Oh." Lizzie said, "Well…" There was a long silence before she turned on her heels and hopped into the passenger seat. After a compromise of playing the Beatles, Lizzie helped Gordo navigate his way back to the highway, which was now oddly deserted. It wasn't until they finally reached I-10 that Gordo spoke up again.

"Lizzie?" he took a deep breath.

Lizzie looked over at him, "Yeah?"

"I was just thinking about…" he sighed, "I mean…" he stuttered, obviously trying to choose his words carefully.

Lizzie's heart quickened. _What is he going to say? _"Yeah?" she asked.

He opened his mouth to speak again and suddenly the sound of a cell phone rang throughout the car. Confused, Lizzie opened her bag that was sitting at her feet. After digging around the bottom of her bag past old receipts and gum wrappers for a moment she finally flipped it open, not checking the display in her hastiness.

"Hello?" she asked.

"Lizzie." The voice on the other end was full of disappointment and frustration.

Lizzie didn't say anything, the excitement from the jump completely draining from her system. He didn't say anything for a moment, however Lizzie knew that the moment wouldn't last long.

"Lizzie…" Jay took a deep breath, "I don't even know where to start." His voice was hard and stern. "I mean should I talk about the amount of time you are wasting by doing this? Or should I talk about the training you are throwing down the drain by not doing your singing and dancing exercises daily?" his voice started getting louder, "Maybe the gigs you have been missing? You realize we will never be able to go back to the Starlight café again after you stood them up last night?"

Lizzie looked down in her lap, tears beginning to burn in her eyes, the familiar feeling of the last four years coming back to hit her in the face. He continued, "Or maybe I should talk about the fact that you have important meetings that you are missing to talk about the release of _your_ new album?" his rant turning into a yell.

The silence was deafening. Gordo glanced over at Lizzie in the seat next to him, her face downcast with tears in her eyes. He reached his right hand over and gently clasped her free left hand. Her face jumped up in surprise, almost as if she was surprised to see someone else there. He caught her eye for a moment, giving her a look of reassurance before turning back to the road.

"Well!" Jay demanded, "Don't you have anything to say! Lizzie, this is your life we are talking about here!"

Lizzie looked down at her left hand, which was now intertwined with Gordo's. It was soft and warm and completely Gordo. She felt the tingles from his touch traveling up her arm. She remembered how it felt to have his whole body wrapped around hers on the jump. How safe, how…right. How, when he was touching her, or even close to doing so, she felt like her whole body was on fire. Suddenly, without warning, something snapped inside of her.

"Yes Jay, I do have something to say." She said, her voice loud and clear.

"Yeah, what is that?" his voice still condescending.

"I quit." The words flew freely out of her mouth, surprising all three people who heard it.

"You… you what?" Jay's voice was much quieter now.

"You heard me, I quit, I'm done. I can't do this anymore." She said, gaining confidence with each word she spoke, "And I know, I do have a contract that I signed and an album that has yet to be sold but you know what? I don't care about any of it. It was you and only you who cared all these years, not me."

"But what-" he began, but Lizzie cut him off.

"I don't care about the money, and neither do my parents. Yes, I signed a contract and I'm breaking it but that means you will own my profits, not me. Go ahead and take all the profits from my album and we'll call it even." Gordo gave her hand a squeeze and she looked over to find his blue eyes shining. With even more confidence she continued, "All this time I've been letting you tell me what I'm doing, where I'm going, and what I want… but no more Jay… I'm finished."

It took him a moment to find his voice. "You…you can't do this…" his voice cracking with disbelief.

"Well you know what Jay?" she paused, "I think I just did."

And with that, Lizzie flipped the phone shut, turned it off and threw it into the seat behind her. Silence filled the car as Lizzie just sat there, digesting what she had just done. She looked over at Gordo who had a grin spread across his face. "Did I just do what I think I did?" Lizzie asked in a small voice. Gordo looked over at her and nodded his head slowly, continuing to keep his eyes on the road.

Lizzie rolled down the window, unfortunately letting go of Gordo's hand in the process. Sitting up slightly she stuck her head out of the window and felt the rush of the wind hit her face and blow through her hair. Lifting her hands up with her she let out a loud scream.

After a moment of this she pulled her head back into the car to see a wide-eyed Gordo starring back at her. "Can we get something to eat?" she asked, breathless with happiness coursing through her system.

"Of course" he said, taking the immediate exit to their right. They pulled into a diner and both hopped out. The bell on the door made a high ringing noise as Gordo held the door open for her. Looking around, Lizzie saw that the diner was slightly grimy and smelled unmistakably of greasy hamburgers. She saw only one guy sitting in a booth sitting in the corner, besides that they were alone. There was a jukebox in the other corner that was playing a slow country ballad. After sliding into a booth a short woman with a blonde beehive hairdo walked up to their table, handing them their menus.

"Hi, welcome to Al's Diner, my name is Gretchen, Can I start you guys off with some drinks?" she said, chewing her gum between sentences.

Gordo looked at her, letting her order first. Without even glancing at the menu she said, "Is it okay if I just order?"

"Uh yeah, sure" the woman said, pulling out her pad of paper.

"Okay, I'd like a chocolate milkshake, a large coke, a burger with everything on it, an order of fries with that and an order of onion rings. Oh, and can I get ranch dressing on the side?" Gordo and the woman just stared at her wide-eyed.

She smiled sheepishly, "What? Jay hasn't let me eat anything good in 4 years…" A look of understanding ran across Gordo's face and the woman looked confused, not understanding but shrugging her shoulders.

"And what can I get you?" she asked him.

"I'll get a crispy chicken sandwich and a coke please" he said, handing her the menus.

"That'll be right up" she said, walking to the back.

Gordo looked deeply at Lizzie before asking, "How are you doing?"

"I'm a little shocked" she said honestly.

"That makes two of us" he said, smiling. After another beat he asked her, "Are you going to be okay?"

She stared over at Gordo across the table, his light blue eyes staring into her own. She let out a breath and said, "Yeah… I'm going to be great…."


	9. Chapter 9 Ms Wilderness

Siv- I'm not sure how much fun I had packing my room, but at least I got a lot done :o)

Neithan- I think the Mark thing kind of failed there. I added it in (it wasn't in the last version of this story) and it didn't play out as well as I had hoped. Basic gist- Mark flirts with Lizzie, Gordo gets jealous. But I'm glad you liked everything else!

Mitchel-musso-lver- I loved the part before they jumped off the cliff too- with the countdown and all!

Dario8676- lol I'm a bigger fan of grilled chicken myself, but crispy chicken does sound good to me too!

JuanPablo- Thanks so much for the comments!

RoxyAnne- The peek in the story isn't quite here just yet- we've still got a bit more to go, especially now that I've switched the story a lot from the previous version. Just wait!

Jake- Wow, your comments are right on there with what I was trying to convey with the 'trust me' line, I think it was definitely the best line in the chapter.

Fanfiction06- I've been looking forward to when Lizzie told Jay she would quit so I am glad you liked it too!

EstellaB- I have never heard Dizzy Gillespie before but I should give her a try! Just out of curiosity, What makes you say that Lizzie is self-centered in this story? I do agree with you about it though, in the show and in the movie she is a bit self-centered and so I guess that just came through in my writing. I think Gordo does a good job of pulling her out of that though. As far as having read this before- you probably have- see the author's note on the first chapter for an explanation!

KittyDoggyLover- Thanks so much- it was one of my favorite chapters too!

KelBel- Thanks! I am glad you notice about the details- they are actually quite difficult to write, it takes a lot more attention to the story but it makes a huge difference!

Maliek- Thanks for the encouragement- this chapter took a lot longer because of Christmas and all!

Ali Oldman- Great to hear from you again- I hope that you keep liking it as much!

Randomblobofnothing- Wow! Favorite fanfic ever?? I don't know, I've read some pretty good ones in the past :o) Either way, thanks for your praise and your awesome review!!

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Note to everyone- I am headed to Costa Rica for the next 3 weeks so I won't be able to update until I get back! Sorry this chapter isn't very long, I meant for it to be longer but I have to leave for my plane in a few hours and I need to run!!!

PS This chapter really really changes from what the story was before- the graveyard scene from the last version is completely cut out- so from here on out it is all new stuff!

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Chapter 9- Ms. Wilderness

The sun had just hit the mountains, casting a blood red shadow across the landscape. Lizzie glanced up at the setting sun in her rearview mirror and then back quickly to the road. Up ahead the sky was a deep blue, and as it curved upwards to the sun it was followed quickly by deep shades of green, yellow, orange, a lighter red and finally a deep crimson.

She smiled and let out a sigh of contentment, letting the beauty of the moment surround her.

"It's amazing isn't it?" Gordo's voice whispered, as if he was afraid to ruin the moment.

"It is." Lizzie whispered back, surprised to see him up. She had taken over driving after they stopped at the diner and he had fallen asleep, his head dangerously close to her side of the car.

"So…how far are we from Miranda's?" she asked, keeping her eyes on the deserted road ahead of her.

"Let me check" Gordo grabbed the map off the dash, wiping the sleep from his eyes with a yawn. "Looks like we are only about 2 hours from the border…and from there it should just be about another half an hour or so to her house."

"Oh." Lizzie said this quietly, her brain thinking fast, "You know, we could just sleep at a motel or something, I mean, we don't need to get in late and be an inconvenience to her family." She spoke this quickly and glanced over at Gordo, who simply raised an eyebrow at her. "Or you know, we could stay at a campsite or something, that would be fun."

"Yeah…" Gordo said this very slowly, "Because you, Lizzie McGuire, are Ms. Wilderness."

"Hey" Lizzie said defensively, "Just because I've never joined the wilderness club doesn't mean I can't be outdoorsy."

"Have you ever slept outside before?" he asked, a huge grin on his face.

Lizzie was quiet for a second, still staring at the road in front of her, "Not… technically."

"You know there are spiders in the woods" Gordo teased, and lightly ran his fingers up Lizzie's arm, mimicking a spider's movements.

Lizzie squealed and the car jerked a bit as she squirmed in her seat, goosebumps rising up her arm, "Fine!" she cried out, exasperated. "You win, I'm not outdoorsy." She sighed, trying to get the feeling of Gordo's fingers off of her mind.

"Lizzie." Gordo said softly after a second, "I know you're worried about seeing Miranda again." Lizzie didn't respond and kept her eyes on the road. _Why is it that he always knows exactly what I am thinking?_ "No matter what has happened, you are still best friends. Just talk to her. She'll forgive you. What is in the past…" he said this softly and Lizzie had to strain to hear him, "…is in the past."

Lizzie bit her lip and glanced over at Gordo, who looked at her reassuringly. "I hope you're right."

* * *

It was dark and past 10pm by the time they arrived. Miranda's house was much different than the one that she owned while living down the street from Lizzie growing up. In fact, all of the houses in Mexico were different, not the same exact cutout with different colored paneling like in the U.S., but it seemed each house had a story, a personality.

Hesitant, Lizzie stepped out of the truck one step behind Gordo, letting him lead the way. He stopped halfway up the driveway, turned and looked at her. "It's going to be okay Lizzie" he said quietly, looking as if he wanted to give her a hug but settled on placing his hands in his pockets after a moment of hesitation. Lizzie and Gordo made their way down the sidewalk to the door. Gordo knocked and without warning the door sprang open and a tall and very tan dark brown haired girl jumped into Gordo's arms. "You're so tall!" she whispered, leaning back and taking a long look at him. "Sorry we have to be quiet, my family is already asleep."

"It's so good to see you" he said, giving her another hug. Lizzie inched herself behind Gordo so she was partway hidden.

"How was the trip? Was traffic bad? Did you make it across the border okay? I can't wait to show you everything here" she was talking a mile a minute, her Spanish accent thick.

"Great, sort of, we got across okay, and sounds good" Gordo answered all of her questions at once.

Miranda laughed at his answer but questioned, "We?" Feeling Lizzie hiding behind him, Gordo took a big step to the left, leaving Lizzie and Miranda face to face.

Lizzie froze, the ice cold feeling of not having a clue of what to do spreading throughout her limbs. Miranda was not the same girl who left California 4 years ago. For one, she was much taller, and had a good 4 or so inches on Lizzie. Her hair was shorter, chin length, with choppy layers and slightly lighter with blond and red streaks running through it. They both just stared at each other for a moment, taking in the whole situation before Miranda's face curved into a smile and she wrapped Lizzie up into a large hug.

"I'm so glad you're here" Miranda whispered.

Lizzie was in shock but suddenly found her voice, and, feeling rather choked, whispered back, "Me too."

Miranda leaned back and looked into Lizzie's eyes, now half filled with tears, "I want you to meet my family, but everyone is asleep."

"We've already met your family" Gordo said, puzzled.

"Not my family…my **family**" she emphasized, leading them into the foyer. "Aunts, uncles, cousins, second cousins, husbands, childen…My grandma and aunt are living with us but everyone else lives close by. My little cousin Ana's birthday is tomorrow so you can see them all then" she said with a smile.

"Oh." Lizzie said, as she stepped through the doorway, "Does everyone speak only Spanish?"

"A few of my younger cousins and my Grandmother do not know English but most of the family does, since we live so close to the border." Miranda explained.

"Here, let's get your luggage inside." They headed outside, and Gordo jumped into the back of his truck and began to untie the bungee cords.

"Wow it's hot down here." Lizzie commented, wiping the sweat off her forehead.

"Oh just wait until the daytime and the sun starts beating down on you" Miranda said, taking some cords from Gordo as he handed them to her and putting them in the front seat of the truck. "Oh, and a heads up, my mom is really anal about this whole, 'boy sleeping in our house' sort of thing, so Lizzie is in my room upstairs but Gordo you'll be on the couch in the basement. I hope you don't mind." Miranda apologized.

"Not at all." Gordo said, handing Lizzie one of her smaller bags and grabbing Lizzie's much larger one to carry himself.

"Thanks" Lizzie said softly, smiling at Gordo.

"No problem" he said, closing the door to the back of the truck.

"Just follow me" Miranda called to the pair and headed up to the door, with an interesting gleam in her eyes. They followed suit, Gordo struggling with the weight of Lizzie's monstrous bag.

* * *

"Wait, let me check that I heard that right, Larry Tudgeman and Veruca are dating!" Miranda asked unbelievingly.

"Yep" Gordo said, "And Larry told me he is planning on buying an engagement ring soon".

"But…" her mouth fell open, "They're only 18 like us, when are they planning on getting married?" she questioned.

"I'm not sure, probably this fall or winter." Gordo shrugged.

Miranda shook her head in disbelief for a moment before asking, "What about Ethan and Kate? Are they still dating?"

"Last I heard" Lizzie said, "It all depends on which week it is."

Miranda laughed, "Nothing new there." She paused for a second, "Wow, I wish I could see everyone." Disappointment was evident in her voice.

"Well, we're here" Lizzie said, wrapping an arm around Miranda on the couch and laying her head on her friend's shoulder. They were all lying around in the basement, talking and half watching Ferris Bueller, which was on in the background. Miranda let Lizzie's arm fall around her for a second before she sat up and pulled away from Lizzie's grasp. Lizzie bit her lip, _Did she do that because she is mad at me?_

"So you've heard all about how everyone is doing at home but you still have yet to tell us how you are doing Miranda" Gordo said, turning to look at her seriously.

She hesitated, pulling her arms around her knees and staring blankly at the TV. "I'm doing fine."

"Are you really?" Lizzie asked.

Miranda looked at her hands. "They're getting a divorce."

A thick silence fell over the room. Lizzie had no idea what to say, because she knew that she had no way of identifying with how Miranda must be feeling at the moment.

"Have you spoken to your dad since he left?" Gordo asked after a moment.

"He called last week..." she sighed, "But I hung up on him."

"I'm so sorry Miranda" Lizzie whispered.

"It's not your fault" she mumbled still looking at her hands.

"No, but we're sorry that it is happening to you" Gordo said, speaking for him and Lizzie both.

"Miranda?" Mrs. Sanchez was standing at the foot of the stairs, looking tired.

Miranda turned sideways on the couch. "Yes Mama?"

"It's almost midnight, you and Lizzie should get up to bed, okay?"

"We'll be right up Mama" she said, sitting up on the couch and looking to Gordo.

After showing Gordo how to pull the bed out and making sure he had enough pillows and blankets she gave him a big hug. "Thank you so much for coming Gordo, you have no idea how much this means to me right now" her voice slightly choked.

"It was our pleasure" he said, patting her on the back.

She pulled back, "Goodnight, get some sleep, and I'm sorry again for making you sleep downstairs"

"No problem" he said, stuffing his hands in his pockets and looking to Lizzie with a nod. "Goodnight" he said somewhat awkwardly.

Lizzie nodded back, "Night."

They headed upstairs and Lizzie looked around Miranda's room as Miranda pulled the air bed out.

"Is this your prom?" Lizzie asked, staring at a picture hung on the wall.

"It was a fall dance we had" Miranda answered, peering over Lizzie's shoulder to look into the picture. "That was my date" she pointed into the picture.

"Woah" Lizzie said, "He's hot."

"And a great dancer" Miranda said, bending down to pull the sheet across the bed.

"Anything happen between you two?" Lizzie asked.

"Uh…Yeah, actually we dated for 2 years" she sounded uncomfortable, "But things kind of fell apart when everything happened with my parents" she continued to pull the sheet on the bed and said, "When things got tough, he got out."

"Well then he doesn't deserve you" Lizzie said. There was a silence and Miranda put a pillow into place, her back to Lizzie. Lizzie took a deep breath and said, "I can't believe I didn't know you were dating someone for 2 years."

Miranda didn't say anything for a minute as she roughly put the covers over the bed. "Yeah well, that's what happens when you loose touch" Miranda said, her voice kind of tight.

Lizzie walked over to the bed and turned to face Miranda. "Miranda?" she asked.

Miranda looked up, "Yeah?"

Lizzie took a deep breath, "I'm sorry I didn't keep in touch for so long." She sighed, "I've been an awful friend to you…"

"I left you messages for the first two months or so." Miranda said quietly, her voice choking slightly. "I probably should have tried harder… but I thought that maybe you didn't want to talk to me so I thought I'd let you be the one to call me." Miranda looked at Lizzie, her eyes filling with tears, "Only you never did."

"I guess I just was focused so much on everything I had going in my life I became selfish and stopped considering everyone else." Lizzie said softly, feeling rooted to the spot. "Especially the two people who really mattered the most…I am so sorry Miranda…"

Miranda didn't say anything but just turned around and sat on her own bed. Lizzie sat down next to her. "When I started dating Mario 2 years ago I lost touch with a lot of my girl friends here. It wasn't that I wanted to do it… I guess he just wanted to spend a lot of time with me and didn't like it when I hung out with them too much." Miranda said this in an even voice but Lizzie could tell it was taking a lot for her to say it. "So when Mario broke it off I realized I didn't really have any friends left I could turn to."

"I'm sorry I wasn't there." Lizzie said.

"But you're here now." Miranda said softly.

"I am…" Lizzie said, pulling her arms around Miranda into a hug, "And I wouldn't have it any other way."


	10. Chapter 10 Salsa Lessons

**Sivchik**- I hope you had as good of a holiday as I had, it is nice to come back and have some of my favorite fictions be updated while I was gone- you probably understand that! Hope the unpacking went better than mine though (I have a HUGE pile of laundry to get through!)

**RoxyAnne**- thanks, writing in the storyline along with the fluff is harder balance than I thought, so I'm glad you liked it!

**RandomBlobOfNothing**- Thanks so much for your praise, sorry I wasn't able to update for so long though!

**Hermione-Granger17**- Wow, thanks so much I'm really glad that you've enjoyed this story so far. I think that the Lizzie McGuire section has been lacking for a while so it's good to hear that. Hope you continue to think so!

**Xandy**- thanks so much! I get a little too sweet sometimes writing about these two, but they are so cute sometimes I can't stop myself.

**popkornchicken**- I'm glad you liked the last version of the story- I liked the graveyard scene and all, but I felt like it detracted from the overall flow of the story to have the climax between her and Gordo before they even arrived at Miranda's house. So I decided to just move that scene to later and then I got a much cooler idea instead, so this chapter is what you get. I hope you like it just as much!

**mitchel-musso-lver**- Miranda and Lizzie, while their friendship still isn't perfect, is definitely on the road to recovery. I'm glad you liked the chapter (I like this chapter much more though!)

**budgiefreak**- Thanks so much for the praise- I really try to put a TON of description in my stories. I think that is what creates the suspense and the feeling like you are actually there.

**Jake**- You are right- the last version did have a cemetery scene. However, I decided that there needed to be more interaction with Miranda in this story so I decided to postpone that scene until after they arrive at Mirandas.. and well instead of being at a graveyard they are going to be… well you'll see in this chapter!!

**KittyDoggyLover**- I hope you made it without me for the past 3 weeks, thanks for sticking with me!

**Dario**- I'm glad you liked Miranda and Lizzie's friendship- I'm pretty sure they are all good now, it's just Gordo and Lizzie left to be worried about!

**Ali oldman**- thanks! I based my image of Miranda based on Lalaine's new look after she left Lizzie McGuire.

**Juan Pablo**- Thanks so much for checking my Spanish for me!! I have been in Costa Rica and Nicaragua for the past three weeks, so you think I'd be better at it by now, but I guess the people I spoke with were very nice about all of my grammar mistakes (that was a general trend I saw while I was down there). Anyway, thanks a bunch!

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**Note to everyone (and to those who don't review because I still like you!)**: First off- huge props to Juan Pablo for being my Spanish translator for this chapter! Also, I hope that everyone is still reading this after my huge vacation (the reason why I haven't updated since Dec). Just a general schedule of events: I'm not going to tell you how many chapters are left (I'll leave that a surprise) but this story should be over in the next two weeks. After that, I have a cute fluffy story idea that is already in progress of being written and then another HUGE project that I'm not sure I want to embark on (both would be Lizzie Gordo stories). What do you all think? Either way, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

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**Chapter 11**- **Salsa Lessons**

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"Lizzie? Lizzie?" a voice whispered

Lizzie rolled over and with a groan mumbled, "It's too early…"

"It's almost 8 but I have take my cousins to school and be at work in a bit" she heard Miranda's voice from under her blanket. This was a general trend for her for the past 5 days that Lizzie and Gordo had been in Mexico. Miranda would go into work around 8 and Lizzie and Gordo would spend the day hanging out or doing extra chores for Miranda until she got back around 3.

Lizzie rolled the covers back and blinked at Miranda, still trying to wake up. "I'll be back around 2, you guys are welcome to anything you want in the fridge for breakfast and lunch. Oh- and get out your sexiest outfit for tonight" Miranda said, grabbing her brush of her beside table.

"Why?" Lizzie questioned, rubbing the sleep from her eyes and sitting up a little in bed.

"Porque vamos a bailar esta noche" Miranda exclaimed, doing a little shake of the hips.

Lizzie squinted at her tying to translate the words she knew in her head, "Yep, see the whole Spanish thing still isn't really coming around for me."

"Because we are going dancing tonight." Miranda smiled and walked to her closet.

"See that makes a whole lot more sense now." Lizzie smiled, "What type of dancing?"

Miranda popped her head out of her closet, a brightly colored t-shirt now on, "Salsa."

"Sounds… exciting." Lizzie commented.

"Trust me chica" Miranda said, glancing at herself in the mirror with a grimace, "you don't get much more exciting than true Mexican Salsa."

"I'm already excited" Lizzie said with a little yawn. "Have a good day at work." She settled herself down a little lower under the covers.

"I'll give it a shot" Miranda said sarcastically. "By the way, can you tell Gordo about tonight when he gets up?"

"Wait- Gordo's coming?" Lizzie sat up, suddenly wide awake.

"Of course- he was the one who suggested it" Miranda explained.

"What?-Wh…Wh-Why??" Lizzie was stuttering.

"Well, he knows how much I love to dance and he mentioned he had taken a few introductory salsa lessons before so he though it'd be fun."

"Wait- when did Gordo take salsa lessons?" Lizzie asked, utterly perplexed.

"I don't know Lizzie" Miranda said, sounding slightly amused, "Why don't you ask him?" Lizzie narrowed her eyes and mumbled something that sounded like 'never mind.'

"You don't have a problem with him coming do you Lizzie?" Miranda said sarcastically with a knowing glance in her eyes, "I mean, cause I could tell him that you feel uncomfortable about him coming." Miranda was trying unsuccessfully now to keep the grin off her face.

Lizzie laid back down and covered herself with a blanket, trying to hide her red face. "He can come" she mumbled, trying to sink herself lower.

Miranda laughed and, shaking her hips as she went out, called back suggestively, "See you tonight…"

Lizzie sighed out and roughly pulled her pillow over her head. She tried not to think about if Gordo would be a good dancer or not. _Gordo took salsa lessons?!_ she thought wildly. _He was never a dancer_. An unbidden thought crept into her mind, _Maybe he went with Samantha_. She burrowed herself down deeper in the covers and tried, unsuccessfully, to go back to sleep.

* * *

"What is with you today?" Gordo asked impatiently in response to Lizzie's snap at him as Lizzie slouched down lower in her seat and stared out of the car window moodily. "You've been arguing with me all day."

"Nothing" Lizzie shot back, equally as impatient. The truth was, Gordo was completely right. Lizzie shut herself up in Miranda's room all day, complaining of a stomachache and snapping at Gordo every time he knocked on the door to check on her.

"We're here!" Miranda said cheerily as they pulled into a parking lot of a club with a line out front.

They headed to the door and Lizzie was about to get in the end of the line when Miranda grabbed her arm and said, "It's okay, one of my cousins works here," and led her and Gordo around to a side door. There was a tall man there wearing leather pants who simply nodded at Miranda and moved to the side a bit so they could get by. Lizzie grinned as the sounds of blasting salsa music greeted her ears. The club was packed and Lizzie held on tight to Miranda's hand as she led her and Gordo to the bar.

"¡Miranda!" An older guy wearing a form fitting black dress shirt and a goatee ran up to Miranda and gave her a kiss on each cheek. "¿Cómo estás mi amiga?" he exclaimed.

"Muy bien, gracias," Miranda smiled, "Estos son mis amigos de California, Gordo y Lizzie." She turned to Lizzie and Gordo and pointed to the guy saying, "This is my friend Sebastián." She pronounced it 'Seh-bahs-teeahn.'

Lizzie and Gordo both smiled at him as Sebastián smiled back and said, "It's so great to finally meet the infamous Lizzie and Gordo. Miranda has told me all about your adventures growing up."

Lizzie was about to ask what sorts of stories he heard when Miranda suddenly exclaimed, "Oh hey guys, a table just opened up along the wall there." They followed Miranda to a table and all sat down. "Sebastián and I took dance lessons throughout high school together" Miranda explained.

"Wow" Lizzie said, "You two must be really good then."

"Well, Sebastián is very good" Miranda said with a smile.

"Miranda is very humble," Sebastián said with a grin, "She is excellent. Do you want to see?"

"Of course" Gordo said, scooting aside so he could let Sebastián and Miranda out of the booth. "We'll be here."

Sebastián was right about Miranda's dancing. Lizzie was almost mesmerized by their movements together on the floor. It was almost like they moved together as one person. She wanted to comment this to Gordo but still didn't want to talk to him.

They watched Miranda and Sebastián dance a song and a half together before she felt Gordo lean in closer to her, "They are both really good aren't they?" As he asked her this he placed his hand on the lower part of her back and spoke in close to her ear. Unwanted goosebumps rose on Lizzie's skin as she tried not to breathe in his scent.

The booth suddenly felt entirely too small. Lizzie forced herself to quickly move away from his touch by getting up and walking away. "Lizzie!" she heard Gordo call behind her and suddenly she felt herself being grabbed by the wrist and turned around to face him.

"Lizzie…" he said, anger now in his voice, "I don't want to do this again. And don't tell me nothing is wrong. What did I do?" He sounded hurt.

Lizzie let her eyes, for the first time that night, wash over him. He was wearing a blue shirt which brought out his eyes and black dress pants. It suited him well and Lizzie felt the urge, even in her anger, to close the distance between them.

"Why do you know how to salsa dance?!" she felt the words tumble out of her mouth in a rush.

His jaw dropped in surprise as he tried to process her question. "I took a few salsa dancing classes back when we did West Side Story our junior year."

Lizzie blinked and asked a question she promised herself she wouldn't. "Did you take them with…" she couldn't bring herself to say her name.

Understanding washed across his face as he looked closely at her, obviously choosing his words carefully. "Yes. Samantha was playing Anita and she really needed someone to go to be her partner so she could learn."

Lizzie felt her wall of defense come back up and said hastily, "Fine." She turned around again and tried to push her way into the crowd away from him.

He came around behind her again and this time grabbed both of her shoulders to turn to face him. The music was louder here and it forced him to yell a bit. "Lizzie, she and I weren't even dating then. I wasn't interested in her like that, even when we did give it a try for a few weeks early this spring." Lizzie bit her lip and looked away from him. He leaned in a little closer to her and said a little more quietly, "Why…" He seemed to hesitate as Lizzie looked up into his eyes, "Why… does it bother you so much to hear about her?"

Lizzie felt her jaw drop open at the forwardness of his question. She stared into his eyes for a moment and tried to make the words come out but couldn't. She felt frozen to the spot as she tried to communicate with her eyes what she couldn't with her words. He stared long and hard at her, an almost fearful look in his eyes.

The current song ended and suddenly Miranda and Sebastián were at their side. She noticed Gordo take a step back and plaster a smile his face. She followed suit and exclaimed at them as they bounded up, "Wow, you guys were great!"

Sebastián thanked her as Miranda looked at them both quizzically, her eyes lingering on Lizzie's with an almost devilish look in her eyes. "Hey…" she said, "Why don't you two show us what you got and Sebastián and I can hold down the booth for a bit." Her eyes were gleaming.

Lizzie's own eyes were widening, "Uh, I don't know how to salsa" she stammered.

"Gordo does, so he can teach you! Plus, you've been taking all of those dance classes for Jay so you're a quick learner now" Miranda exclaimed, putting a hand on each of their backs and leading them to an open spot on the floor. She disappeared, leaving Gordo and Lizzie looking at each other awkwardly.

"We don't have to…um" he brought his hand up into his hair nervously as he studied her carefully.

"I… well… I" Lizzie found herself stammering along with him.

"-unless you want to…" his voice trailed off here.

"I'd like that" Lizzie said with a deep breath. _I'm acting like I'm fourteen again!_ she reprimanded herself.

"Okay…" he gave shaky grin and nod. "Well, I like to think of salsa dancing as a math problem" he explained.

"Only you would think of math at a time like this" Lizzie laughed.

He smiled at her and said, "The basic step goes like this: I take a step forward with my left foot, you take a step back with your right. Then you take a step forward with your left and while I move back with my right. Every motion is equal and opposite. We can try it first without hands."

Lizzie nodded and they both tried the simple move a few times to the beat in the music. "See that is the basic underlying movement, then everything else you add, like hip and arm movement, is just a variable in the problem." Lizzie felt herself start snickering and Gordo squinted his eyes at her, "Are you laughing at my method?"

Lizzie put on a serious face, "No, certainly not Professor Gordon" she felt her face break into a huge grin and she giggled.

He tried to look put off. "We'll see who is laughing in a bit McGuire. The method is foolproof." She flashed him a smile and she noticed that he faltered a bit before going on to the next instruction. "Okay… next is your frame. I'm guessing you know the importance of having a strong frame in dancing?" Lizzie nodded her head and lifted both her arms up to him. She placed one arm on his shoulder as he placed his right arm on her upper back and took her right hand with this left.

Lizzie felt her heart speed up a bit at this new contact between their hands and arms and concentrated on steadying her breathing. "With salsa, you hold your hands a lot higher than other dances" he explained, lifting their joined hands up so they were bent at the elbow and their hands were up high near their faces. They were standing a good foot or so away from each other. "Now, all you need to do is feel for the changes in my movement and respond to it." Lizzie nodded and they started to do the basic movement, Gordo putting a slight pressure on her shoulders to start the dance. "Another move is the sideways basic, which is more of a mirror movement- if I take my right foot and swing it back and twist my hips, you do the exact same thing but with your left foot." Lizzie watched him do it once and did the same thing.

They practiced this for a while before Gordo smiled and said, "See, you're already better than me. Are you ready for the spin?" Lizzie grinned and nodded. "We go back to the first basic step and do the spin instead of one of the steps, just remember to keep with the beat." Lizzie felt him change the pressure a bit and lead her into the spin, which she pulled through quite gracefully. When he pulled her back to him however, Lizzie noticed they were much closer this time than before when they were standing in the same stance.

She suddenly felt much warmer as she concentrated on following his movements, "When I pull my arm down like this" he pulled his left arm down, "It means that we spin around together" he spun them around so they were facing the other direction and Lizzie responded by pulling in a little closer to him. She felt a little light headed now at their closeness.

She noticed that he seemed to loose his footing for a moment before getting back on the beat. She grinned and stared up into his light blue eyes. "How's that foolproof method working out for you now Professor?" she asked, her voice a little lower than she intended for it to come out.

"Perfectly." His voice seemed a lot lower now too and Lizzie tried not to focus on the fact that their hips were inches away from each other.

They continued to dance together for the next two songs, Gordo showing her the extent to his knowledge and Lizzie adding in a lot of the same principles she already knew from other dances. "Who would have ever thought that you would be teaching me salsa?" Lizzie smiled up at him as they pulled in close from a spin.

Gordo grinned and said loudly above the music, "Life throws you unexpected surprises every once in a while."

Lizzie looked at him seriously for a moment before responding more quietly into his ear, "Yeah… it does." She felt his movements stop and they both just stood there close together on the dance floor. Lizzie pulled her hand, which had been lying on his shoulder up to his face to brush some of his brown curls to the side. She felt Gordo respond by leaning his head into her touch.

Licking her lips and her heart fluttering in her chest, Lizzie looked up at Gordo and wondered if she had the guts to do what she so desperately wanted to. His light blue eyes were wide with an expression that Lizzie was having trouble reading. They stood there, staring into each other eyes, letting themselves become lost in the moment.

He gradually lifted his hand up to her face, caressing it gently. Lizzie let in a sharp breath at his touch that still sent shockwaves over her body. She closed her eyes, letting herself become lost in his touch and found her other hand moving slowly up his lean arms. She finally rested them when they slowly reached his neck and she felt Gordo tremble slightly. Taking another step closer so that their bodies were flush against each other and their lips were merely inches away, Lizzie could feel the heat radiating off his body.

Her breathing was becoming more and more difficult and all she could think about was closing that few inch gap that was separating her lips from his own. His eyes flickered down to her lips and Lizzie felt a jolt in her chest.

"Gordo…" Lizzie whispered.

There was a beat in which nothing happened but just as suddenly as it all began his eyes suddenly turned downcast and cold as he quickly took a step away from her. This action caused her arms to drop from his shoulders and he dropped his own hands from her face.

"Lizzie, we can't do this." He turned to the side, pulling his arms around himself.

"But… I…" Lizzie stuttered, "I don't understand…" She felt the hot tears of embarrassment begin to fill her eyes.

He looked at her, hesitated, and looking incredibly pained he choked out, "I'm sorry." With that, he walked past her and left her alone on the dance floor.

Lizzie, feeling the tears beginning to stream down her cheeks, tried the best she could to compose herself before she saw Miranda at her side, looking worried. "Do you want to go home?" Miranda asked.

Lizzie nodded and Miranda grabbed her hand and led her outside. "How is Gordo going to get back?" Lizzie asked in a small voice.

"Sebastián said he would take him for me" Miranda said, opening the door for Lizzie and helping her in. The ride home was quiet and Lizzie got the feeling Miranda was waiting until she was ready to talk. After she and Miranda settled down in her room after changing into their pajamas Miranda just sat there on her bed looking at Lizzie. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Lizzie hesitated. "Well… it's kind of a long story…"

Miranda leaned back against her pillow that was propped up against the wall, "I've got time."

Lizzie took a deep breath, "Well… I guess you could say that it all started back in the eighth grade…"

Lizzie told her everything, from the Murder Mystery Party to Rome to all of the events that led to their fall out in the 9th grade. She told her about how she felt about him, about bungee jumping, about her getting the courage to quit singing, and about the incident at the pool. Miranda let Lizzie get it all off her chest and listened the entire time before she questioned, "Lizzie?" She looked thoughtful.

"Yeah?"

"Have you ever told Gordo you're sorry?" she asked.

"What?" Lizzie asked, not sure what she was referring to.

"I mean… have you ever apologized for what happened between you two back in the 9th grade? You know, the whole falling out thing? Or even brought it up at all?"

Lizzie was still for a moment, starring at one of Miranda's posters of Johnny Depp on the wall. "No… We've never talked about it…"

"Well… maybe that's your answer to why he's been acting the way he has. I mean, you guys never really settled the past so it's kind of hard to move forward…" Miranda explained.

Lizzie just sat there. "I never thought about that" she admitted.

"Something to think about then…" Miranda said with a yawn.

"Are you ready to go to bed?" Lizzie asked.

"Only if you're okay." Miranda looked at her, the worried look still in her eyes.

"I'll be okay, I promise. If anything, it really helped me to be able to talk about it with someone. I really missed that." Miranda nodded in agreement as Lizzie got up to turn out the light. "Oh and Miranda?"

"Yeah?" Miranda sounded sleepy.

"Tomorrow you need to tell me what is going on between you and Sebastián- because it is so obvious he likes you."

Miranda laughed and said with a yawn, "You go it."

"Oh, and one more thing..." Lizzie continued.

"Yeah?"

"Thank you for being there tonight."

"Your welcome."

A few minutes later she heard Miranda's breathing change and knew that she was asleep but Lizzie's mind was racing a mile a minute. Suddenly everything seemed to come together, why he had been acting so guarded since the beginning of the trip. There was one thing that didn't make sense though. Her mind was transported back to the 9th grade and she remembered how he had begun to push her away the summer after Rome. _That was before our fight after the digital bean incident, so why was he acting that way then?_

_Well_, she thought, _at least I have one thing figured out_. She decided the next chance she got she would talk to Gordo about what happened, finally getting everything out there on the table. Sighing in relief she rolled over, _This time I'm going to get it right_.


	11. Chapter 11 All Systems Go

**Ali oldman**- Thanks for always being such a peppy reviewer- I always can tell how much you liked the chapter just by your writing ;o)

**Juan Pablo**- Trust me, it definitely won't be easy for them to talk about- but the hardest things in life tend to be the best (just wait)!

**EstellaB**- I totally agree- Hooray for heightened romantic tension. Also, I'm glad you think Miranda is… Miranda-ish, because she was one of the characters I was worried about coming across right!

**Dario**- I'm glad you find it so suspenseful!!

**Andy**- Thanks so much! I hope that this update was quick enough for you!

**budgiefreak**- I've never had the work kwlies used in reference to something I've done before, but thanks! PS What does kwlies mean:o)

**Jessi**- wow, thank you for such a great review! I love the feeling of being completely encompassed by a story too, so much that you get swept up by it (let me know if you find any other Lizzie/Gordo stories that fit that description!).

**Kitty DoggyLover**- Don't worry, Gordo and Lizzie will work it out soon enough ;o)

**Hermione-Granger17**- I agree with you and the usual Lizzie storylines, I thought of the roadtrip one a really long time ago because I thought it would be a good way to get out of the same routine we are used to. I've really tried not lose the characters too- I think sometimes people "overcool" Gordo and forget that he is a math geek at heart, but that is part of the reason we love him!

**Unconventional**- I knew if Gordo would be learning salsa he would have to, in some way, dorkify it a bit, because he is Gordo after all!

**Sivchik**- I hope you are all settled in now! I'm glad you are looking forward to more of my stories, me too!

**Neithan**- wow! Thank you so, so, so much for such a positive review on that chapter! And you are right about the ending being the old Lizzie- I feel like this whole story has been a process of her re-discovering herself (wait until the last chapter to see how that ties back in!).

* * *

**Note to everyone**: This isn't the last chapter, but expect that to be sometime mid-next week :o)

* * *

**Chapter 11**- All Systems Go

* * *

"Good morning" Gordo said, not looking up as she entered the kitchen the next morning after Miranda had left for work.

"Morning." Lizzie said quietly, standing awkwardly in the doorway. Gordo was standing over a pan at the stove cooking something. There was a long pause as he continued to bend down over the food. "What are you making?" Lizzie finally asked.

"Pancakes and sausage" Gordo said as he checked underneath one of the pancakes to see if it was finished yet, still not looking at her.

Lizzie sat down at a stool, "Smells good." There was another long pause. Lizzie felt as if she swallowed a heavy piece of lead as she came to the horrible conclusion: _He doesn't feel comfortable to be around me anymore after what happened last night…_

"Need any help?" she asked, trying to break the silence somehow. _I should talk to him like Miranda said…_

"You can help me find the syrup if you'd like" he said, flipping one of the larger pancakes.

"Sure" she answered, searching around the cupboards. "Hey, I was thinking…" she trailed off, taking a gulp of air.

"Yeah?" He didn't look up from his pan, but just continued to focus on the task in front of him.

"Um…do you want to clean Miranda's house today while everyone is at work?" she asked dejectedly, "I thought that since we are leaving tomorrow it might be a nice way to say thanks to Ms. Sanchez for letting us stay."

"Good idea" he said, continuing to look down at the pancakes in front of him.

* * *

Lizzie and Gordo spent the morning doing odd chores around the house, dusting, cleaning the bathrooms and some vacuuming. Lizzie attempted to avoid Gordo (_or is he avoiding me?_) as much as humanly possible. Around 1:30 Lizzie knew they should start making lunch if it would be ready when Miranda got back.

She found him dusting in the basement. "What shall we eat for lunch?" she questioned.

"I don't know" he commented, "Let's go look around."

They searched around the kitchen for a bit before deciding upon salad and sandwiches. "I'll take the salad, you take the sandwiches." Lizzie said, opening the fridge and grabbing a head of lettuce.

She washed it and looked over at Gordo, who was piling meat on slices of bread. Sighing she brought the lettuce over to the cutting board and began to take of the outer layers. _How do I start a conversation like this?_ she questioned herself as began to slice with a knife she found in a bottom drawer. _Hey remember that one time that I told you I didn't value our friendship anymore? Yeah, sorry about that._

"Ow!" she cried when she felt cold metal slice into her thumb.

In an instant Gordo was beside her as she brought her thumb to her chest, feeling the throbbing pain spread through her hand. "Are you okay?" he asked, taking her hand and looking at it with worry in his eyes.

She shook her head and tears gathered at the corners of her eyes, threatening to spill. Grabbing a towel off the counter he wrapped it quickly around her thumb and said, "Keep you hand above your heart, it will keep the blood flow down." He began to lead her towards the bathroom.

Slightly dizzy at the though of blood, Lizzie began to see stars erupting in the corners of her vision. All she could think about was blood pouring out of her and she began to get extremely lightheaded. "Lizzie?" Gordo asked as she began to lean in his direction, "Lizzie!"

The last thing Lizzie saw as the black stars closed in on her vision was Gordo's worried face, inches from her own.

* * *

She felt cold water dripping off of her forehead and into her hair. Lizzie's eyelids fluttered open to see she was lying on the couch. Lifting her hand up she felt a damp washcloth on her forehead. In the process of doing this she realized that her thumb had a band aid over top of her cut but could already see blood seeping through it. She put her hand back on her chest, not wanting to look at it.

"You're up" Gordo said, coming down the stairs, his hands full.

"How long was I out?" Lizzie asked, attempting to sit up.

He placed the bottles down quickly and pressed down on her shoulders to keep her from going anywhere. "You should lie down for a moment. You were only out for a minute or two" he answered her question.

"How did I get here?" she asked, her mind still processing what just happened.

His cheeks reddened and he determinedly avoided her gaze as he opened on of the bottles, "I carried you."

"Oh" was all Lizzie could say in return, taking the wet cloth off her face.

"I put on a band aid quickly to try and stop the blood but we need to clean it a little better. I found some alcohol" he picked up one of the bottles, "Do you think you can make it to the bathroom?" Lizzie shrugged and after taking Gordo's hand, she got up slowly from the couch, still feeling shaky. "Um…" he hesitated, "Here, lean on me."

Slowly Lizzie placed her good hand around Gordo's shoulder. After a second, Gordo tentatively placed his arm around Lizzie's waist. Trying to calm herself, Lizzie took a deep breath, only to get a strong whiff of Gordo's scent. Lizzie felt her knees weaken further.

"All set?" his voice sounded oddly strained.

"All systems go" Lizzie said weakly with a smile.

They made it down the hallway and into the bathroom, one step at a time. She sat down on the counter between two sinks while Gordo went back to grab the rubbing alcohol and bandages. "Here let me see the damage" he said quietly and she gave him her hand to examine. He pulled the band aid off and Lizzie looked out the window, away from the blood.

"Well, it seems that you just grazed the surface so it isn't bad enough to need stitches or anything. You are going to want to clean it really well to make sure it doesn't get infected." He was holding her hurt hand with both of his own.

"How do you know so much about this stuff?" Lizzie asked him.

He shrugged, "I know a lot of stuff."

"Understatement of the century" Lizzie gave a weak grin, "Mr. I Got a 1600 on my SATs."

"How did you hear about that?" he wondered while he ran the cut under some cold water.

"I hear things" Lizzie said coolly. He held the rubbing alcohol up and Lizzie asked in a small voice, "That's going to hurt isn't it?"

"Yep" he said apologetically.

Turning her head completely the other way she whispered, "Do your worst Doc." She heard the unscrewing of the lid and she bit her lip, preparing herself for the worst. "Owww…" she moaned as she felt the dull sting of the alcohol penetrating her wound. She felt Gordo's free hand that wasn't pouring the alcohol begin to rub the palm of her hand slowly, going in slow circles.

Taking a deep breath she glanced over at Gordo's face, which was intently staring down at her hand. He worked on her thumb gently, rubbing some cream on it with a Q-tip and then placing a band-aid over it carefully. Feeling her stare he looked up at her, looking her directly in the eyes for the first time that day. "All better?" he asked quietly.

Very slowly, she nodded her head. There was a pause as they just looked at each other. _Talk to him! Say you're sorry!_ Lizzie's inner monologue was screaming at her.

"Hello!" Miranda's voice echoed down the hallway.

Gordo broke their gaze and squeezed her hand softly before letting go and looking over his shoulder. "We're in here!" he called.

Miranda showed up in the doorway a second later, looking confused. "What are you guys doing in the bathroom?"

"I cut my hand while we were making lunch." Lizzie answered sheepishly.

"Are you okay?" Miranda asked concerned.

"Thanks to Dr. Gordon here" Lizzie said, motioning to Gordo. Gordo simply shrugged. "Miranda? What are you wearing?" Lizzie asked, noticing for the first time Miranda's appearance.

Miranda blushed. She was wearing a bright button down shirt and hat was shaped in the form of a taco about the half the size of her head. "See, that's where I've been all day… I work at a taco stand in town" she said, taking her foam hat off and hiding it behind her back.

Lizzie began to giggle softly. "Lizzie! It's not funny!" Miranda stammered. Gordo began to laugh now, but tried to hide it by cleaning up the supplies on the counter. Miranda just stood there with a grin on her face before giving them both a hard punch on the shoulder.

"Ow!" Lizzie cried, laughing, "Hey! I'm injured here!"

"Yeah you keep on laughing and you may loose the whole thumb McGuire." Miranda giggled.

They all walked out of the bathroom. "Let's finish making lunch shall we?" Gordo said, "Except, how about you stick with the drinks this time Lizzie?" They all laughed.

* * *

"I'll see you at Christmas then?" Lizzie said, her voice muffled in Miranda's hair.

"I'll be counting the days" Miranda said. "And Arizona State isn't that far away from you guys" she said.

"I still can't believe they gave you a full ride" Lizzie said, looking at her friend in admiration.

"Well a funny thing happened when I didn't have you to write notes to or giggle with during class--I started paying attention" Miranda joked.

They both gave each other another hug. "Uh, guys?" Gordo questioned, "Is it going to be my turn sometime this century? You know, before my clothes go out of style?"

Miranda leaned back and surveyed Gordo, "I hate to break it to you Gordo but I your clothes never were in style."

They all laughed, even Gordo, as he and Miranda embraced. "If I ever need clothing advice I know who to call" he said.

"You better" she said, patting him on the back.

"Thanks again so much for letting us stay here Ms. Sanchez" Lizzie gave Miranda's mom a hug.

"It was my pleasure" Ms. Sanchez said, "I missed you two." She pulled Gordo into a hug.

Miranda looked to Lizzie and whispered into her ear, "Did you talk to Gordo yet? You know, apologize like I said?"

"Not yet." Lizzie whispered back. She had tried to muster up the courage in the last day of their visit but kept delaying it.

"It will work out" Miranda said reassuringly, "Trust me." With that she gave Lizzie another hug.

* * *

Lizzie sighed and shifted in her seat.

"What are you thinking about?" Gordo asked. Lizzie's eyes snapped up across the table of the diner they were sitting in.

"Uh" she stammered, "Just how much I miss Miranda already."

He laughed, "It's only been 5 hours. But yeah, I understand what you mean." He took another bite of his sandwich. Lizzie gulped. Gordo had been much more willing to speak to her today, but everything still felt very forced and awkward. She glanced out at the table, which held her half eaten sandwich (she was feeling too anxious to eat at the moment) and his plate that was almost empty. _Well, no better time than the present I guess…_

"Gordo?" Her voice was more nervous than she expected.

He looked up from finishing up his chicken parmesan sub. Wiping his mouth with a napkin he asked, "Yeah?"

"I… I've been meaning to talk to you about something…" she began to fiddle with her napkin, peeling off the corner and ripping it into small pieces in an attempt to not meet his eyes.

There was a pause and Gordo waited a beat before saying again, "Yeah?"

"Well… I wanted to apologize…" she said timidly.

"For what?" he looked confused.

"For… the last four years?" she supplied, biting her lip. "I wanted… I wanted to tell you how sorry I am for saying what I did four years ago… and for pushing you away and…" she trailed off, trying to put her thoughts into better words. "Remember how in the end of the 8th grade I made you promise me that we would always be friends, no matter what?" she asked.

"Yeah?" he was gazing over her shoulder, as though he were recounting the moment to himself.

"Well… Gordo, you told me that you weren't going anywhere…" she said sadly, "But you see…I did. I didn't keep my side of the deal. I'm so…so sorry" she felt her breath catch in her throat.

He gazed back into her eyes and there was a pause, causing Lizzie's heartbeat to quicken. Then suddenly he shrugged his shoulders and said indifferently, "Okay…" With that, he grabbed the check the waitress left on the table and walked over to the register to pay for it.

Lizzie felt her heart drop like a rock. She jumped up to follow him to the register. "Okay?" she asked accusingly to him.

"What?" he asked as he gave the man at the counter the money.

"I said all that to you and all you could say in return was, 'Okay'!" she exclaimed loudly, eliciting a strange look from the man at the counter.

Gordo took the change from the man and left it on their table as they walked out of the door. "What?" he asked, "I forgive you, no big deal."

"What do you mean _no big deal_!" Lizzie cried out, flabbergasted at his attitude. They stopped walking and stood next to Gordo's truck.

"It was the past, what's done is done… It doesn't matter" his voice staying the same level, causing Lizzie's frustration to rise.

"But I don't understand, you seemed like you were upset with me this whole trip and that you have been holding a grudge the whole time… and… and… even it doesn't matter to you Gordo, it matters to me!" Tears of frustration began to form at the corners of her eyes. "Why are you acting this way?"

He sighed, obviously frustrated, and looked down the street. "Look… I'm sorry. I just don't see why you have to bring the past up like this… that's all, but whatever, you're sorry, I forgive you, it's done" he said quickly, avoiding her face.

"So that's it then?" she said, holding back her tears.

"What else do you want from me Lizzie!" he exclaimed, raising his voice for the first time and jumping into the passenger side, slamming the door behind him.

She stood there for a moment, staring after him before finally letting a tear fall down her cheek and murmuring under her breath, "Obviously nothing you want to give…"

* * *

The rain was coming down harder than she had seen it since their first day of the trip. It came in sheets, blanketing the car and forcing the windshield wipers to work frantically to clear their vision. Inside she felt like she was a bomb, ready to erupt at any moment. She couldn't believe how they had left things like that, so incomplete, with so many questions unanswered. The tension in the little cab of Gordo's truck was so thick you could cut it with a knife.

She quickly glanced over at Gordo sitting in the passenger seat. His eyes looked sad but he continued to keep this blank face on, as if he were putting up an act for her. _How did it come to this? _Lizzie couldn't handle it anymore. She had enough of all pretenses, of pretending to be someone she wasn't and that she had everything under control. Seeing a sign for a lookout point off of the highway she merged right and ignoring Gordo's cry of confusion as to what she was doing, she slammed on the brakes and pulled the car off the road.

Pulling the car into park but leaving the key in the ignition she undid her seatbelt, opened her car door forcefully and marched out with long, angry strides. The pouring rain drenched her instantly, sticking to every crevice of her clothing and matting her hair down to her head. She made it about 10 steps when she heard Gordo's door open and him calling out to her.

"Lizzie! What are you doing?!" his voice came from behind her. She kept walking, ignoring him. Quicker than she expected however, she felt two hands grab her forcefully by the shoulders to spin her around and look at him.

He was drenched now too, his curly hair now flattened around his face and his shirt being forced to stick tightly to his body. He kept his hands on her shoulders and his face close to hers as he repeated, "Lizzie, what are you doing?" He had an almost desperate tone to his voice now.

"Why did you stop liking me?" she blurted out, her tone almost as desperate as his.

His face twisted into confusion and he dropped his hands from her shoulders as he questioned her, "What are you talking about?"

She took a step back from him and said loudly, "After Rome, you stopped liking me and I want to know why… I could tell you cared about me once. But you stopped that summer, you pulled away from me. Just like you are pulling away from me now!" The rain seemed to be coming down even harder as she spoke in a strangled voice, "Back in the 9th grade…I didn't understand why you kept doing it so I pushed myself into singing to try and impress you, but it didn't work." His eyes widened in surprise and there was a long silence before she spoke, "Please Gordo, I need to know!" She started to cry but didn't bother wiping her tears, letting the rain wash them away.

He stood there, immobile, his mouth half open, just staring at the ground in front of him. She let a moment pass before saying in a choked voice, not holding back any tears, "Was it me? Was it something I said or did…or didn't do?" He didn't say anything. He just stood there, in the same position as when she had started talking, his face screwed up and looking at the mud soaked ground. A sob seemed to rip from Lizzie's throat after a minute and she turned on her heels, ready to walk away.

He grabbed her arm and pulled her back to face him, eliciting a gasp from his sudden movement. "It wasn't you" he almost whispered.

"What?" Lizzie gulped, pushing her rain soaked hair out of her face.

"It wasn't you…It was…It was…" he hesitated, as if every word was a struggle to get out, "It was me. It still is." There was a long silence and Lizzie saw tears forming in his eyes.

"What…What do you mean?" She said through her own tears.

"Lizzie… After what happened in Rome I had to do something… I had to be someone. I knew that I wasn't good enough for you, especially after what happened, after seeing everything you did. I thought I was doing the right thing, because even though I cared for you, I knew you had so much more in store for you. You are amazing, you know that? You have a passion inside of your heart that will lead you to so many wonderful things, and you deserve someone…someone who will help take you there." He took a breath, "And when you signed that contract… well…I thought it meant that what I thought was true."

Lizzie just stared at him as he continued, "I really struggled with it that first summer after Rome… but after you signed that contract I thought that it just sealed it… and I really pushed you away after that… yes because you hurt me back in the 9th grade but…mostly it was an easy way for me to cover up my own fear. And I still am… I'm still afraid of…us… of this…But I never stopped caring… never." He stared into her eyes and took a deep breath, as if he had been waiting to get that off his chest for a long time.

Lizzie stared at him, awestruck. They stood there in silence, letting the rain fall relentlessly around them before Lizzie said, her voice wavering slightly, "Do you know why I never dated in High School?"

Surprised by her question Gordo looked at her for a moment before answering, "Because Jay didn't allow it?"

"No, I was allowed" she said quietly.

"Why?" his voice was almost drowned out by the pounding rain.

"Because every guy who asked me on a date wasn't smart enough. Or… their hair wasn't curly enough, their eyes weren't blue enough… or they didn't know me for my entire life… they didn't know my favorite flavor of ice-cream or exactly how to make me smile when I'm feeling lonely and upset." Her voice cracked a little but she forged on, "They didn't use large enough words that I didn't understand or listen to weird music or refuse to eat at McDonald's or shop at Wal-Mart because they thought big businesses are the downfall of society…" He gave a small grin.

"They… They didn't see me in a way that nobody else in the world does. As if… I'm actually worth something more than I think I am…" The rain started to let up a bit as they stared at each other's eyes, "You said before… that I deserve someone who will help me follow my heart… but that's you… you already take me there. Don't you see Gordo?" She took a deep breath, "It's you…it always has been, and it always will be."

He blinked. Afraid at this sudden loss of eye contact, Lizzie looked down at the ground that was swimming with rain water. She just stood there for what seemed like an eternity before a wave of panic spread through her body. _I said too much… I let myself be vulnerable and now he's going to reject me…_

The tears were coming full force as Lizzie, in an act of panic, turned around and began to walk quickly away, leaving Gordo still standing there. A horrifying thought came to Lizzie as she walked: _He doesn't feel the same way._ Thoughts began running through her head in all directions: _I shouldn't have said that. I shouldn't have opened up. _

But suddenly a different emotion began to run through her veins: _Wait… I shouldn't feel sorry for how I feel… _With sudden determination she turned around to see Gordo still standing in the same spot, staring in her direction. "I was going to apologize for what I said, but you know what Gordo?!" she called to him, taking steps in his direction, "I not sorry for what I said! I'm sorry you don't feel the same way but **I** can't help how I feel!"

She was standing back in front of him now, still feeling the need to continue talking, "And you can't change that so you're just going to have to deal with it Gordo-" In a sudden movement Gordo reached his hand up to her mouth to lay a single finger on her lips, silencing her quickly.

She stared at him as he bent down and quietly whispered closely to her face, "Are you finished yet?" Lizzie was lost in his eyes, which were looking deep into her own. She nodded, afraid to blink or move much at all. Slowly the hand that was over her lips slid down her face to cup her cheek and Lizzie felt a shiver run through her body. His other hand landed on her forehead, pushing some of the wet hair that had fallen onto her face and tucking it behind her ear before landing on her other cheek.

He was looking at her with such wonder in his eyes, as if he had never before seen her face before. He smiled and leaned in towards the side of her face and kissed her lightly on the cheek, dangerously close to her mouth. Lizzie took a deep breath as he whispered quietly into her ear, "I love you more than you'll ever know Lizzie McGuire."

There was a moment where time was suddenly suspended. Where her heart seemed to stop as she registered what was just said. The pouring rain, the highway next to them, the sky up above, it all disappeared and only Gordo was left. Lizzie wasn't sure who initiated the kiss or how the distance between their lips disappeared, but before she knew it their lips had joined and her hands were buried in his wet curls.

His lips felt wonderful, wet from the rain yet warm to the touch. His hands, which were cupping her face, gently moved down to her neck and up through her hair and Lizzie, feeling as if she would never again be able to breathe properly, moved closer to Gordo, unable to get close enough. Lizzie marveled at his intoxicating touch that was doing incredible things to her body yet even more to her on the inside. Her heart, which was beating rapidly, seemed to be rejoicing with happiness.


	12. Chapter 12 Back to the Beginning

Ali oldman- Nope, not the end yet, one more chapter to go!!

Jake- I'm glad you didn't read the original fic, because this one came out so much better! I hope you read my new LG fic coming out in the next month!

Sarahyyy- Thanks for helping me to go over the 100 mark with the reviews! The kissing in the rain scene has been done before, but I just love the thought of a wet!Gordo (remember the pool scene?). lol

Hopeful.Light.Takari- I'm glad you liked my story- let me know if you turned up any good stories on your hunt- I've been looking for a while and can't find many good ones!

sivchik- I love the word always too! I felt like it had a little more umph than the simple- I love you- and I was worried that it was too cliché for the rain scene, but I am glad that it came out alright!

Dario8676- I knew that it has been something that has been done before- but I couldn't resist- I've always wanted to write a scene in the rain!

mitchel-musso-lver- I'm glad you thought the chapter was sparkly (with the and everything). And you are right- Gordo does love her a lot!

andy- I hope you had a good time at your party even though you were late- I'm glad you liked it enough to be late though!

YaDoDOBird- I love reading fics in a computer lab undercover in class- however it always has me looking over my shoulder to see if I'll get caught!

Neithan- I don't think your first review ever went through- musta been a technical glitch- anyways thanks for the review! Did you get my last e-mail I sent you? Were you ever able to look at that story?

KittyDoggyLover- I'm so glad you thought it was perfect (no chapter ever seems perfect to an author)!

popkornchicken- Wow, thank you so much- I hope to see more of your reviews in the future as well!!

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**Chapter 12- Back to the Beginning  
**

Her cell phone rang twice before she rolled over and snatched it off the charger. "Hello?" she whispered sleepily into the receiver, her hair falling into her face and eyes half open. After hearing the voice on the other end however, her face changed dramatically. The change began with her eyes, which opened wide and began to sparkle with excitement as she listened to the voice on the other end and ended with her mouth curving into a wide grin.

The person on the other end of the phone hung up before she had a chance to respond and it wasn't long before she pulled back her comforter, was up out of bed and brushing her hair frantically. Sliding her feet into her shoes and pulling on her winter coat she checked the time: 1:45 am. She checked her reflection one last time before heading over to her window and slipping her head through. On a second thought, she pulled herself back in and grabbed a mint from her purse, which she shoved hastily into her mouth.

Getting out the window proved tricky, because she was a little bigger now and this job required a little more agility than she remembered. But, she made it onto the roof and swiftly moved over to the corner by getting down on her hands and knees. While she crawled, she shivered, hearing the wind rustle a tree softly that was illuminated by a pool of white light from a nearby lamppost.

She made it to the spot and sat down, swiftly swinging her legs to hand over the side. Without even looking she placed her foot down below and felt his hand, already held up waiting for her to arrive. Holding tightly to the roof Lizzie felt herself being lowered by a strong pair of hands from down below, eliciting a strong jolt in her stomach. He held her tightly against him, switching his hands from her legs to her hips and she grabbed a hold of his shoulders as she was lowered. Softly he touched her feet to the ground with a huge grin on his face.

"Surprise" he whispered.

She smiled broadly and captured his mouth with a kiss. At first she meant for it to be a peck but found her hands traveling up to land in his short curly locks and the kiss intensifying. Leaning up against him she pressed against his chest and found she had him pinned to the wall of her garage. His hands on her hips crossed up her back slowly and Lizzie inched a little closer to his body, deepening the kiss even further.

"Miss me much?" Gordo murmured as Lizzie broke the kiss and began to attack his neck with her lips. She planted small kisses up his neck, focusing on his ear for a moment before taking his jaw line back towards his mouth. Just at the moment that she was going to recover his lips with her own she heard the unmistakable sound of water rushing through the pipes of her house, sending ice cold fear through her limbs.

She looked up and saw that the light in her parents bathroom, a mere 20 feet away from where they were standing, was on. She and Gordo hastily ducked underneath a bush, making a racket in the process. They were still holding on to each other as they stared up at the light.

_If the light in their bedroom goes on_, she thought, _I'm dead_. _But if the bathroom goes out, then I'm homefree_. Lizzie held her breath.

After what seemed like an eternity, the light went out and both Lizzie and Gordo let out a sigh of relief. They waited an extra minute or two, just to be safe, while allowing their heartbeats to slow down. They both quietly stood up as Gordo smiled and held out his hand to her which she gladly accepted. The pair, still breathing heavily, ran swiftly up the street, knowing exactly where to go.

They didn't speak until they reached the deserted playground. It was a place they both knew just as well in the dark as they knew in the daytime. Once they got there Gordo placed a hand on the small of her back and guided her behind the swings, where she gasped when she saw that he had already set up his telescope, blanket and candles.

She was still standing there with her mouth wide open as he leaned into whisper into her ear, "Happy 6 months."

"I thought you had an exam tomorrow" she said, still in shock.

"Nope" he said, "I finished my last one up at 6 and was home in time for dinner."

"So you lied to me then huh?" she said coyly.

"Well, it was all for a good cause" he said, brushing her hair away from her face, letting his hand linger down her cheek. He studied her face for a moment and suddenly brought his other hand to her hair and pulled a leaf out of it. "Now Lizzie" he said, "What did I tell you about making out in the bushes with the milkman?"

She laughed, "I'll try and work on that in the future, but sometimes I just can't help myself, those milkmen are so tempting."

"How did your last exam go?" he questioned seriously.

"Really well, I think I made the grades I'm going to need to transfer next semester" she said, unable to contain her excitement. She had enrolled at the local community college and taken a few introductory courses there and had already applied to transfer to San Diego State University, which was a mere 20 minutes from Gordo's campus.

"Even Calculus?" he questioned elatedly, continuing to hold her close.

"Yup" she said, "Those late night phone conversations explaining derivatives really did help."

"That's great," he said, "I have news too."

"What?" she asked.

"One of my short movies won for best short documentary at the film festival last night" he said with a grin.

"Was it that environmental one?" Lizzie asked excitedly.

He nodded and Lizzie gave him another hug before they both sat down on the blanket. "So find Orion for me" he said jokingly, wrapping an arm around her waist as they both leaned back to lie down and stare up at the sky.

She laughed and inched closer to him, leaning herself in the nook of his shoulder and placing a hand on his chest. "Oh! Miranda says hi" she remembered, "I talked to her tonight, she's been on Christmas break for about a week now."

"What day is her flight getting here again?" he asked.

"On the 26th" she said, clearly excited, "I can't wait to see her again."

"How is she?"

"She had a good semester, but she really missed her family from being so far from home" Lizzie said, reaching one of her hands up to play with Gordo's hair.

"Yeah, I got that feeling from her when we talked before the hibernation period of finals set in" he said.

There was a pause and they Lizzie shut her eyes, enjoying the moment, feeling Gordo's arms wrapped protectively around her and the cool night air on her face. "I can't believe it's been 6 months" she sighed, continuing to play with his curls. She couldn't see his face but she knew that he had one of his usual Gordo grins on it. "Have I mentioned that I love your hair?" she murmured, now moving her hand to begin massaging his scalp.

"Hmm…" he said, obviously enjoying this, "I do believe I might have heard that once or twice."

"Well it's true" she whispered, wriggling her body up so she could get her face closer.

"Well, my hair says it loves you too" he whispered, trying to be offended .

She laughed and said, "You know, there is one more thing that I love."

He leaned his head over to her face, "What is that?"

"Gordo, I thought we already established that I'm having a love affair with the milkman." She said lightly, trying not to laugh. "You're going to need to keep up with me here."

"Ah yes, I forgot" he smiled.

She looked at him and her eyebrows crinkled. "Hey" a thought just occurring to her, "What time did your last exam get over again?"

"6?" he said nervously, avoiding her face. He was never able to lie to her.

"And you were back in Hillridge for dinner?" she asked, "What time was that?"

"Um… I don't really remember…" he mumbled, turning to look back into the night sky.

"Yeah…right" she said, grabbing his chin and pulling his face to hers.

"Okay, okay" he said, admitting defeat, "…7:30…" he mumbled.

"7:30!" she exclaimed, "Gordo! It takes at well over 2 hours to get to San Diego from here! How fast were you going?"

"Have I mentioned that I love you?" he asked, wrapping her tightly in a hug.

"Uh Uh- You're not pulling that card Gordon" she said stubbornly, pushing him away from her chest. He held on to her tightly though, and she was struggling to loosen his grip. "The highways around the city are dangerous, what if you had gotten hurt?" She continued to hassle him while she pushed against his grip.

Finally he let her move back so he could face her but still kept a tight hold on her shoulders, "Do you always have to fight me?" he asked calmly.

"Yes" Lizzie said, sticking out her chin.

He stared at her, his gaze traveling over her face. Lizzie found her composure lessening as she became lost in his light blue eyes. He leaned in so their faces were inches apart and Lizzie found she could do nothing more than stare back. "What were you mad about again?" he whispered.

Her mind was completely blank. "Not a clue…" she trailed off as he leaned in even closer. He placed a sweet kiss on her lips and Lizzie smiled. He leaned his forehead against hers and they both closed their eyes.

Suddenly Lizzie had one of those moments, where she realized how different things were from a year ago. _A year ago, I was probably at rehearsal, probably trying to think of a way to convince Jay to let me go to some party that I wouldn't have fun at… _she thought, letting her mind wander. _A year ago, I never even talked to Gordo_… _We lost so much time…_ She opened her eyes and looked at him. His eyes were closed peacefully and she wondered what he was thinking about. _Well, I'll just have to make up for that_, she thought determinedly.

"Thank you…" Lizzie whispered after a moment.

"For what?" he whispered back.

"For everything…"

Keeping his forehead firmly pressed to hers he grinned and wrapped his arms a little tighter around her. "It was my pleasure…"

the end

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Note to all: Thanks for reading my story!!! I'm so pleased with how this story has turned out, it is so much better than the first time I wrote it and I am so glad that you have liked it as well. I am planning on putting out a smaller story sometime next month- at the moment I am thinking it will be called "Progression of the Inevitable." It will be an incredibly sweet story picking up sometime after Rome and should be 4 chapters long. After that I am planning on putting up a HUGE story, but we'll get there after I finish the next story. Also, if you have never reviewed before (because I know you are out there!)- thanks for reading my story even if I've never heard from you before, I still appreciate it!!


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